Warm Hugs 2: Avenging the Past
by SarahRapunzel
Summary: SEQUEL TO WARM HUGS: Things are finally starting to calm down again after a crazy year filled with a frozen summer, deathly illnesses, spontaneous adventures to foreign lands, and falling in love. The sisters may have forgiven Hans but what happens when someone from their childhood reemerges to seek the one thing he's been wanting for fourteen years…revenge on the royal family.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Epilogue**

It was a cloudy summer afternoon in London, the people of the city out on their Sunday strolls and casual window shopping. A man in his late thirties expertly weaves his way in and out of the crowd, smiling and tipping his hat at the beautiful women that pass him by. He stops suddenly at the local newsstand and picks up the latest issue of _The Times_, "Royal Wedding in the Frozen Kingdom…" He opens up the paper and skims over the article, _The ice enchantress Queen Elsa of Arendelle is set to marry Prince Hans of the Southern Isles by the first week of June…Prince Hans was previously disowned from his royal family in the Southern Isles after his murderous deeds in Arendelle during the eternal winter…for unknown reasons he travelled back to the Southern Isles to reinstate his royal title and succeeded…no confirmed statement from Arendelle's royal family on why the sudden change of heart from the ice queen. _The man gets the attention for the newsstand owner, "Pardon, how much for this?"

"Six pence, sir…" The owner accepts the money with a smile, "Thank you."

The man continues his brisk walk to the outskirts of London and into a nearby field, where a young chocolate brown thoroughbred grazes, "Hey Lancer, I hope you got enough rest because we've got to get back to the estate as quickly as possible." Lancer snorts and turns his back on the man, "Hey, I'll be having none of that…I've got to get this newspaper back to the doctor. This may be the sort of breakthrough we've been waiting for." He mounts the horse, "If you get me back before nightfall, I promise there will be apple treats for dinner." Lancer's ears perk up and he instantly took off at a speedy gallop down the dirt road. In less than an hour, they ride up to Franklin Estate, a large manor type-estate, surrounded by massive amounts of countryside. "You there, stable boy!" The man dismounts as a fifteen year old boy approaches, "Take good care of Lancer here, I've got important business to attend to."

"Yes, sir."

The man walks inside the large manor and heads into the parlor, where a butler is wiping down the bar, "Alfred, where is the good doctor?"

The butler doesn't even look up from his work, "He's underground, sir."

The man strides out of the room and down a narrow hallway that leads to a dead end. He lightly pushes on the upper right hand corner of the wall, causing a part of it to pop open, and revealing a hidden passageway. The man quickly descends the spiral stair case and steps forth into the large underground base, complete with dungeons, laboratories, and weapon facilities. He heads straight towards an office in the back corner of the base and knocks, "Doctor…are you available for conversation?"

"…Come in."

The man steps inside and closes the door behind him. The doctor is sitting alone in his ornate office with a half empty bottle of whisky on the desk, "What is it?"

The man reaches into his jacket and pulls out the newspaper, "I think I may have found the opportunity you've been waiting for…" He throws the paper down onto the desk with a smug smile.

The doctor slowly turns around in his seat and picks up the newspaper, "Royal Wedding in the Frozen Kingdom…this is old news, almost a month and a half late."

"It's only the nineteenth century, sir, it's a miracle that we got it as soon as we did."

Suddenly the door burst open, "Doctor!" A short, pudgy red head waddled inside the office, "Sir, I got the preliminary results from the first few tests…all of which were a success!"

The doctor scoffed, "Well, of course, Ernest…I designed the weapons myself." He opened up the paper and continued to read the article, his expression changing from aloofness to one of interest, "Gentlemen…I do believe our time has come." He looked at Ernest first, "I want you to personally oversee the rest of the tests and inform me when everything is done." Ernest nodded and left the room as the doctor faced the other man, "I think it's time we visit our operative in town and collect those favors he owes us, don't you think?"

"Yes, sir, I'll head out first thing tomorrow morning." The man walked out of the office and closed the door.

The doctor took another long drink from his glass as he reread the article, "Well, well, well…it would seem that Elsa and Anna like to give their enemies a second chance. It sure warms my heart to hear about how forgiving the royal family is. Unfortunately, some of us aren't looking for forgiveness…we're looking for revenge."

* * *

It was a beautiful July morning in Arendelle, the store owners were opening up their shops for the day and the children were happily running around with friends. A nice cool breeze came in from the fjords, rustling through the trees full of green. Summer in the Kingdom of Arendelle was definitely one of the most peaceful places to be, unless you lived in the castle, and especially on this specific morning.

"It's coming! It's coming! The baby's coming!" William ran to Elsa's bedroom, "Queen Elsa! Queen Elsa!"

Elsa threw open the door, dressed in her light blue silk robe, "I heard, let's go!" Elsa ran by a couple of servants, "Please wake up my sister and Rapunzel and tell them to meet us in Annaliese's room, right away."

Elsa and William ran into Annaliese's room, where Dr. Osmorg and Hans were already by her bedside. Hans tiredly smiled at his wife, "Good morning, Elsa."

Elsa smiled as she kissed the top of his head and looked at the doctor, "How long has she been in labor, doctor?"

"For a few hours now…breath, Annaliese, breath."

Anna and Rapunzel both ran into the room, Anna was donning her wild bed head, "The baby's coming?!"

Rapunzel's bright green eyes grew wide, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe that it's happening!"

Gerda hastily entered the room with several supplies in her arms, "Wow, this certainly turned into quite the party, huh?"

The doctor rolled up his sleeves, "She's dilating…Gerda, I need you over here now. Everyone else, clear out!"

Anna frowned, "But we just got here."

Elsa wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, "Let's go Anna…"

As the group slowly shuffled out, Annaliese screamed, "NO! Hans, I need you…to stay…with me!"

Hans tentatively looked at his wife, "Elsa?"

Elsa gave him an encouraging smile, "It's alright, stay with her…I'll be just outside. Good luck, stay strong…to the both of you."

Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and William all stood outside in the hallway. Well, the girls were standing while William was pacing like a nervous wreck, "Everything's going to be fine…she'll be okay…she will be okay, right?"

Elsa smiled reassuringly, "Of course, William…Dr. Osmorg and Gerda helped our mother deliver both Anna and I. She's in good hands…"

They heard a scream from inside, which caused William to pale as Kristoff and Eugene came running down the hallway. Kristoff wildly looked around, "What's going on? What's with the screaming?"

Eugene gave his wife a distressed look, "I heard screaming and you weren't in bed so I thought-"

Rapunzel gave him an apologetic smile, "Annaliese went into labor earlier this morning and now the baby's coming…I can't believe you slept through all that."

Eugene smirked, "I'm a heavy sleeper, what can I say?" Rapunzel leaned back against the wall and slide down to the floor as Eugene sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, "Good morning, by the way."

Rapunzel gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Glad to see you becoming more of a morning person."

They heard another scream from inside, which caused all three men to tense up and the girls to quiet down. After what seemed like hours, a small cry could be heard on the other side of the door. Everyone in the hallway looked at each other with excitement and joy, and after a few more minutes, the doctor slowly opened the door with a smile on his face, "Okay, you may go in now, but please keep your voices down."

William rushed in first, followed by the rest of the group except Elsa who stayed behind with the doctor, "How did everything go? Any complications?"

The doctor tiredly shook his head, "None, Your Majesty…very standard procedure. The baby's healthy and Annaliese is doing well, but she should probably get some rest…please makes sure that everyone leaves after a few minutes."

"Yes, of course, doctor…thank you."

"My pleasure…I'll be back soon to check on her and the baby regularly throughout the day." And with that, he bowed his head and walked back to his office.

Elsa walked into the room to see Kristoff and Anna a few steps back from the left side of the bed and Eugene and Rapunzel were holding hands a few steps back from the right side of the bed. William had taken the seat beside Annaliese's bed and Annaliese was sitting up with her hair disheveled and bags under eyes but a huge grin on her face as she coddled her newborn.

"It's a boy…" Elsa turned around to Hans who was standing behind her, a large smile on his face, "A beautiful, healthy, baby boy."

Elsa looked back at Annaliese with a smile, "That's wonderful news…" She looked back at Hans, "How long have you been up? You look exhausted…"

Hans rubbed the back of his neck, "I, uh, never went to sleep…her water broke late last night and she went into labor early this morning. But we can talk about me later, this is Annaliese's big moment, so let's go join the rest of the group."

Elsa and Hans stood at the foot of the bed, as Rapunzel wrapped an arm around Eugene's waist, "What are you going to name him?"

Annaliese smiled down at her baby, "Hendrick or Henry, for short…it's a combination of Kendrick and Hans." Annaliese looked up at Hans for approval.

Hans gave her a warm smile, "I like it…"

Elsa looked at the clock, "We should let you get some rest…everyone out of the room, visiting hours are over for now."

Once everyone left the room, Annaliese gave Elsa a grateful smile, "Queen Elsa, thank you for letting me stay here until I'm able to get back on my feet."

"It is absolutely no problem at all…just take care of yourself, okay?"

Annaliese yawned, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Elsa and Hans silently made their way back down the hall, until Elsa cautiously looked up at him, "So how was it?"

Hans ran a tired hand through his hair, "Stressful, terrifying, deafening…after what I saw today, I have a newfound respect for women. I, mean, sure men are tough but that was…yikes."

Elsa smirked, "You should've seen William in the hallway, now that man was definitely struggling."

"I bet he would've done fine if he were in there instead of me…he's a strong man."

Elsa scoffed, "Since when did you two become best buddies?"

"Once he stopped flirting with you-"

"He never liked me in that way-"

"That's what he claims, but I assure you that at some point, he thought of you as more than just friends."

Elsa let out a curt laugh, "You are truly sleep deprived aren't you?"

"Yes…but I'll be okay once I eat some breakfast and get started on-"

Elsa stopped walking, "No, you're going straight to bed after you eat."

"But we have another ice trade meeting this morning-"

"I can handle a meeting by myself, I used to do that before I married you, remember? And besides, Kristoff has to be there too and he's business savvy."

Hans smiled as he pulled his wife into his arms and gave her a light kiss, "Boy or girl?"

Elsa pulled apart immediately, "What?!"

"Would you like a boy or a girl?"

Elsa became flustered, "I don't know…why are you even asking me this? Were not even sharing a room, yet-"

Hans chuckled, "Relax, Elsa, I'm not asking you to make a baby, I was just curious on which you'd prefer."

Elsa blushed, "Oh…sorry, but I couldn't say…I wouldn't want that kind of expectation on the gender because if I wanted a boy but the baby was a girl, there would be that sense of disappointment and I don't want that."

Hans nodded, "You make a valid point…"

Elsa smiled as she wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, "What about you? You obviously had a gender in mind, since you brought up the question."

Hans hesitated, "…A girl. I would like a baby girl."

Elsa looked up at him in surprise, "Really?"

"I grew up in a family with all guys, and every single one of my brother's wives have had baby boys…I just don't want to continue that trend."

Elsa smirked, "Well, all the babies from my mother's side were girls so when the time comes, there will be an epic battle of genetics."

Hans laughed, "May the dominant gene win."

* * *

It's been four days since the baby was born and it's been four days since anybody in the East Wing of the castle slept. Annaliese was walking around her bedroom with Henry over her shoulder, trying to get him to go to sleep, "I'm so sorry, I don't understand what's wrong…he just won't stop crying. Poor William hasn't slept for days." While Hans and Elsa were busy with the ice trades, Elsa assigned William to personally attend to Annaliese while Rapunzel also stood close by because she insisted on helping out with the baby.

Rapunzel was standing in the doorway with a kind smile on her face, "May I try something?"

Annaliese nodded as Rapunzel walked towards her and handed her the baby, "Here…good luck."

Rapunzel sat down on the sofa and gently rocked the baby back and forth, "Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been loss. Bring back what once was mine…what once was mine." Slowly the baby drifted to sleep and by the end of the song, he was snoring peacefully.

Annaliese's eyes grew wide, "Wow that was amazing, Rapunzel…"

William came into the room, "Alright, I have some-wait, he stopped crying?" He looked at Annaliese with a hopeful expression.

Annaliese smiled at Corona's Princess, "Thank Rapunzel, it was all her doing."

William placed a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder, "I'm so glad you decided to stay in Arendelle for a while, we could definitely use your help."

Rapunzel smiled at the sleeping baby in her arms, "It's no problem at all. I'm happy to help, I love babies…"

They heard someone clear their throat and they all looked towards the doorway where Eugene was leaning against the door, "Rapunzel, it's getting pretty late. Are you ready to come to bed?"

Rapunzel sighed as she placed Henry into his crib, "Yes, I suppose my job is done here. Goodnight Annaliese, goodnight William…"

Annaliese and William murmured their response as the couple left the room. Eugene looked down at his wife who was uncharacteristically silent, "You okay, Blondie?"

"I'm just thinking…" After a few more moments of silence, Rapunzel stopped walking and faced her husband, "Eugene, why can't we have a baby?"

"Oh, no, no, no…" He placed his hands on her shoulders, "We've already gone over this Rapunzel. It's too soon-"

"It's been six months-"

"And that's too soon." He slide his hands down her arms and held her hands with a concerned look in his eyes, "Until we get an answer from the doctor about what happened last time, I don't want to do anything that could possibly jeopardize your health."

"But Eugene-"

"End of conversation."

Rapunzel looked down and sniffled, "Okay…"

Eugene's heart ached for his wife, "Rapunzel…" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, resting his chin on the top of her head, "When the time's right, you'll become a mother…it may be a few years or a few months but it's like what you told Anna, everything will happen at its own time and in the end, all the waiting will be worth it."

Rapunzel smiled up at him, "So you _were _paying attention to our conversation…"

* * *

"_There they are! Stop them!"_

_Hans and Elsa ran into the library, shut the door, and quickly locked it. Elsa ran towards the fireplace and frantically began searching for some sort of hidden doorway, "I can't find it!"_

_Hans leaned against the door as the rebels began to bash the door down, "Well, I don't know how much longer this door can hold up."_

_Hans grabbed a few small bookcases and propped them up against the door, then he ran over to help Elsa, "Hans, are you ready to fight?"_

_Hans sighed, "I don't have a sword…and you took away my knife. I don't have any powers so, no, I'm not exactly prepared to fight."_

_Elsa slid out the knife from her sleeve, "Here…take this."_

_Hans gratefully took back his knife and slid it into his boot, "Thanks."_

_Elsa ran her hands along all the bricks around the fireplace, "We must be missing something…" She noticed that one of the fireplace tools seemed to be out of place, "Wait a second…" Elsa took the fire pick and found what looked like to be a keyhole. She inserted the pick and a small trap door opened up beside the fireplace, "Found it!"_

_In that moment the doors burst open and the violent group of rebels ran towards them. Hans sympathetically looked at Elsa, "I forgot to tell you the end of my dream…" Hans pushed Elsa through the door and cut the only rope that held the door open, "You make it out, but I don't."_

_The door slowly began to close as Hans turned around to face the approaching rebels. Elsa yelled out to him, "No! Hans! We can both make it out!"_

_Hans protectively stood in front of the door, "I need to lock it from the outside! We used to have these kinds of trap doors back in the Southern Isles castle, I should have known that Kendrick would install one here as well."_

_Elsa stood by the entrance, "Hans I can't leave you!" _

_Hans turned around, "Elsa, you told me, before we left Arendelle, that getting back home to Anna safely was your number one priority, and that's exactly what you need to do." He turn toward the group of rebels and pressed some sort of lever on the door, "Now run!"_

_Once the door closed, Elsa peeked through the keyhole and saw Hans fight off about five men until another group of five came in with crossbows. Elsa covered her mouth to hold back her screams as, one-by-one, the men shot their crossbows at Hans, piercing him in the leg, stomach, shoulder, and finally two in the chest. Hans's bloody body fell heavily against the glass window, which shattered on impact, causing Hans to fall into the waters below. _

"Nooo!" Elsa sat up in her bed that was now covered in a thin layer of ice. She took several deep breaths in order to calm her racing heart, "He's okay…he's safe." She reached for a glass of water that was on her nightstand, catching a glimpse of her wedding ring which made her to smile. After a few gulps of water she lay back down and closed her eyes again.

_Hans was sitting up in his bed reading one of his favorite novels, before he let out a short yawn. Realizing that it was probably getting late, he placed the book on his nightstand and blew out the candle. After a few minutes, he began to slowly drift to sleep as the wind began to howl outside his window and the distinct sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. In a matter of seconds, the sound of rain began to make its way towards the castle and soon a summer storm covered the Kingdom of Arendelle. The windows to Hans's room began to violently shake as a figure appeared right outside on the balcony. The figure used some sort of metal hook to unlatch the windows and crept inside of his room. He silently made his way to Hans's bedside and placed a hand over his mouth, causing Hans to wake up with a start._

"_You think you can just get away with what you did? You think that everyone will just turn a blind eye to everything you've done?" Hans tried to squirm out of his grasp, but that only made the figure hold the hook up against his neck, "You're a murderer…" He began to slowly puncture Hans's skin with the hook, drawing a trickle of blood to run down his neck, "And you deserve to die as such."_

"Hans!" Elsa didn't even stop to think, she just jumped out of bed and ran out of her room, down the hallway and burst into her husband's room, "Hans!"

Hans was sitting up in his bed reading a book, his face was a mixture of surprise and concern, "What is it, Elsa? What's wrong?"

Elsa glanced at the window that was still securely locked and looked back at her husband's concerned face, "I…you, were…I, mean…" She took deep breaths to slow down her racing heart as she also tried to hold back frightened tears that were beginning to sting her eyes, "It was just a dream…a horrible, frightening dream."

Hans got out of bed and walked over to her, wrapping his strong arms around her shaking body, "Was it about Anna, again?"

Elsa leaned into him and shook her head, "Ever since you came back from Sperca, I've been having nightmares about you dying…but since we got married the nightmares have gotten worse and more real and I'm beginning to think that there's something to them."

The wind outside started to pick up and they could hear it howling against the window. Hans could feel her legs shaking so he slowly led her to the bed, "Elsa, don't worry…everything's okay. I'm still here and I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

Elsa wiped the tears from her eyes, "I don't think anyone _plans _on dying, Hans. Tell me, how many people have you hurt?"

Hans almost fell off the bed, "Pardon?"

Elsa could tell that she definitely caught Hans off guard, "How many crimes have you committed prior to coming to Arendelle?"

"None…I was under house arrest for four years prior to coming to your coronation. What's this about, Elsa?"

Elsa brought her knees up to her chest and leaned back against the headboard, "A common theme in most of my dreams is someone coming back to kill you as an act of revenge. And I was beginning to wonder if Anna and I weren't your first victims."

Hans leaned back against the foot board with his legs stretched out, "The only other person I hurt was Kendrick many, many years ago and he's dead so I don't think I should be worried about him…" Hans teasingly smirked, "Unless you believe in ghosts."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Make fun of me if you must, but I'm seriously concerned for you safety."

Hans crawled over to her and sat beside her with a sincere smile, "And I appreciate that, I really do. But when your worrying begins to affect your health then I've become a burden and I don't know what to say or do to make your nightmares go away."

Elsa placed her head on his bare chest and looked over at his nightstand, "What were you reading?"

Hans reached over and grabbed the book, "Le Rouge et le Noir."

Elsa furrowed her brow, "The Red and the Black?"

Hans looked down at her in surprise, "Very good, Elsa. I didn't know you spoke French…"

Elsa smirked, "There's a lot you still don't know about me…so what's it about?"

Hans opens the book and looks at the summary on the inside cover, "In two volumes, it follows the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing through a combination of talent, hard work, deception, and hypocrisy, yet who ultimately allows his passions to betray him."

Elsa smiled, "Is it good?"

Hans chuckled, "I don't know, I barely started it…I can start from the beginning if you're interested."

Elsa snuggled closer to him, "Sure, that would be great. Thanks."

For the next hour, the couple continued to read together until Elsa slowly began to fall asleep. Hans caught her nodding off a few times, "Elsa?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Sleeping together?"

"Well, if you're not going to take your safety seriously then I guess I'll just have to keep a close eye on you." She sat up a bit and shot an icy blast at the lock on Hans's windows, firmly securing them shut. She lay her head back down on his chest and took in a deep breath, "Goodnight, Hans."

Hans smiled as he kissed the top of her head, "Goodnight, Elsa."

Elsa quickly drifted to sleep as she listened to Hans's steady heartbeat and for the remainder of the night she didn't have a single nightmare about him.


	2. Chapter 2

**************Hi everyone! I've gotten so many favorites and followings after the first chapter and I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you! I'm glad that you guys are intrigued with this story! Just a friendly reminder, though, that this is a sequel so if somethings are confusing please make sure you read the first Warm Hugs to help clear up any confusion. Now enough of that, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter and please keep reviewing! Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 2: Letters**

It was now the end of August, and the ice trades were slowly coming to an end. The Kingdom of Arendelle was prospering greatly from the abundance of ice from the North Mountain and the farmers were predicting a thriving harvest once the fall season rolled around. Everything was perfect and everyone was happy. As the sun slowly rose over the mountain and extended its warm summer rays through the window, Elsa fluttered her eyes open and smiled up into a handsome face, "Good morning."

Hans kissed her forehead, "Good morning…you look adorable when you sleep, by the way, so peaceful."

Elsa suppressed a yawn as she stretched, "I haven't had any nightmares in over a month, so I guess I am sleeping pretty soundly. And I have you to thank for that."

Hans chuckled, "I didn't really do anything, I just let you rest your head on my chest as you fall sleep."

"But the fact that you're willing to do that for me…"

Hans brushed the hair away from her eyes, "Elsa, I'm not exactly sacrificing a whole lot…"

Elsa sat up, "Please, just let me thank you."

Hans smirked, "Actions speak louder than words…"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "What did you have in mind?"

Hans grinned, "A kiss, as a token of your gratitude."

Elsa giggled, "Okay…" She ran a finger down his jaw line and underneath his chin, slowly lifting his face closer to hers, then planted a very light but sweet kiss on his lips.

Hans smiled, "You know I was thinking…we should take a vacation."

Elsa scoffed, "A vacation? Do you really think we can afford taking a vacation?"

"Well, sure." Hans sat up and put an arm around her shoulders, "We still deserve a honeymoon, don't we? Even if it's late, we should still go take a trip somewhere and since the ice trades are basically done, what better time is there?"

"But we have the harvest coming up, who's going to oversee that?"

"Anna can handle it, she's been learning a lot about trade and economics from attending all the ice trade meetings. Plus, Kristoff will be here to help her if she needs it."

Elsa bit her lip, "I don't know…where would we even go?"

"Anywhere you want…" Hans scooted closer to her and kissed her temple, "It could be a warm tropical island…" He kissed her cheek, "An earthy mountain escape…" He kissed her softly on the lips, "A villa overlooking the ocean…"

Elsa smiled as he came close for another kiss, "I like the sound of that."

Hans's lips locked onto his wife's lips in a passionate kiss, but as they continued their kiss they couldn't hear a certain snowman playing with the lock, "Good morning, Elsa! Good morning, nice Hans!" Olaf insisted on calling him that since he was no longer evil.

The couple jumped apart quickly as Hans face planted into the pillow and Elsa frantically fixed her hair, "Olaf! What are you doing in here…_how _did you get in here?"

The snowman giggled as he scurried towards the bed, "Oh, well, my nose can unlock all the doors in the castle so I can basically go anywhere I want."

Hans kept his face in the pillow which muffled his response, "We're going to have to change the locks in the castle then."

Elsa laughed as she patted the back of Hans's head, "What can I do for you, Olaf?"

Olaf dramatically bowed and held up an envelope, "It's more like what I can do for you…I've got a letter here from London."

Elsa took the letter from the snowman, "London?!"

Hans still kept his face in the pillow, "Who on earth do you know from London?"

Elsa read the envelope, "Not me, Hans…you."

Hans sat up in surprise, "What?"

Elsa handed him the letter, "It's addressed to you…"

Hans tore open the envelope and quickly read the letter, "It's from one of my brothers…he gives us his best wishes on the marriage and he is…inviting us to stay at his London home while he's traveling around Europe."

"Well, that sounds like fun!" Hans and Elsa both looked over at the lively snowman, who had made himself comfortable on one of the sofas.

Elsa politely smiled, "Olaf is there anything else you need?"

"Nope…" He sat up and wiggled his feet.

"Well, is there anything else you need to go do?"

"Oh! Yeah, I also have a letter for Rapunzel…I'll give it to her now!" He jumped off the couch and scurried towards the door.

"Olaf, wait!" Elsa jumped out of bed and ran over to her little creation, "Why don't you give her the letter at breakfast? She is still a guest here and we wouldn't want to bother our guests this early in the morning."

"Ohhh…okay! See ya, Elsa! See ya, nice Hans!" The little snowman waved and waddled out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

As Elsa closed the door she heard Hans groan, "That little snowman I swear-"

Elsa sighed, "He means well…he just doesn't understand personal space and privacy. But he has a heart of gold…"

Hans tiredly rubbed his face, "It's not that I dislike the little guy…he just has _too_ much energy, _all _the time. He's like a puppy that never grows up."

Elsa laughed, "He's a snowman, he doesn't need to eat and sleep like we do…he can just go on forever and ever. But anyways…" Elsa picked up the letter and sat on the edge of the bed, scanning over the letter, "So we would be...house sitting?"

"I guess…"

Elsa furrowed her brow, "That's odd…out of nowhere one of your brothers invites us to go visit him?"

Hans crawled over to her and sat behind her, reading the letter over her shoulder, "Well, actually, ever since I married you, I've gotten letters from a lot of my brothers. They probably think I'm actually worth their time now. But it seems like we're not actually going to meet him…he said that he'll leave the keys under a rock by the front door for us. So what do you think?"

Elsa placed the letter on her lap, "Well, I'm still not entirely sure that we should be leaving Arendelle at all. I'm the Queen, it's my duty to stay here and watch over the citizens of my kingdom…as it is your duty now, too."

Hans began massaging her shoulders and neck, "Elsa, we eventually will have to leave Arendelle when we travel to other kingdoms for diplomatic reasons. We might as well give Anna a chance at running the kingdom in our absence while we're on vacation so if something goes wrong we can come back immediately. And besides, Rapunzel and Eugene are here and they have experience along with Annaliese and William. What can possibly go wrong?"

Elsa closed her eyes, "You make a valid argument…I guess we can afford a week or two away from meetings and trade negotiations."

Hans wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "That's the spirit! When were you thinking of leaving?"

"Perhaps the first of September, that's exactly one week from now. "

"And for how long?"

"Be back by the twenty second of the same month…that should be the first day of fall. I still want to be around for the harvest."

"Fair enough…I'll send a response letter before noon today." Hans and Elsa both got out of bed and began changing out of their nightwear, "Hey Elsa…?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for doing this…I know it wasn't an easy decision for you, but I'm sure you won't regret taking this time off. You deserve it, you work too hard."

Elsa gave him a warm smile, "It'll be fun…I've never been to London before."

* * *

Olaf was wandering around the castle until it was time to deliver the letter at breakfast, but he unintentionally found himself in front of Rapunzel and Eugene's guestroom, "Hmm…Elsa told me to wait until breakfast but I'm already here…" He plucked his nose off, "It would save so much time-"

"Olaf, what are you doing?" Anna was urgently whispering to the snowman as she closed her bedroom door.

Olaf put his nose back on, "Good morning Anna, what are you doing up this early?"

"I'm going to help Annaliese watch the baby while she cleans up before breakfast."

Olaf gasped as he waddled closer to Anna, "Can I come? I haven't had a chance to see the little noisemaker, yet."

Anna quietly laughed, "Sure you can come, just be sure to keep your voice down."

Olaf happily scurried beside Anna as they walked down the hall, "Oh I'm just so excited to see the little guy! I love babies…I haven't actually seen one but I'm sure they're adorable! Everyone always talks highly of them. We can play hide and go seek and tag and-"

Anna giggled, "Olaf?"

"Yeah?"

"He's only a month old, he won't be able to do all that."

Olaf sighed, "Well, that's a drag…"

Anna knocked quietly on the door, "Annaliese, you awake?"

"…Come in."

Anna tried to keep her voice down as she entered the room, "Good morning, Annaliese. Good morning, Henry. I've brought a friend with me today."

Olaf scurried in, "Hiya Annaliese!"

Annaliese smiled, "Well, hello there Olaf…how's it been going?"

The snowman shrugged, "Eh can't complain…Oh! Is this your little bundle of joy?"

Annaliese handed Henry to Anna, "He sure is…Anna, I'm just going to go take a quick bath, I should be back in about ten to fifteen minutes."

Anna smiled at the baby, "Sure, take your time."

Annaliese quickly grabbed her stuff and waved as she hurried out the door, "Thank you. See ya, Olaf."

"See ya!"

The baby started to wake up, "Olaf, I told you to keep your voice down."

Olaf gasped, "I'm sorry, Anna…I wasn't thinking-"

The baby began to cry and Anna began to panic, "Oh no, no, no…hush Henry, I don't want to wake everyone up."

Olaf tugged on her skirt, "Why don't you sing to him?"

Anna began walking around the room, "Great idea, uh…do you wanna build a snowman…"

Olaf sat down on the couch, "Oh, I love this song!"

The baby's cry grew louder, as Anna joined Olaf on the sofa, "Apparently he doesn't…"

Olaf pouted, "Everyone's a critic…"

Anna rocked the baby back and forth, "For the first time in forever, there'll be magic, there'll be fun…"

The crying grew even louder, and Olaf began jumping up and down, "I know I know!" Anna leaned towards Olaf so he could see Henry's little face, "Bee's a buzz, kids will blow dandelion fuzz and I'll be doing whatever snow does in summer…"

The baby temporarily stopped crying, much to Anna's relief, "Olaf you did it!" The baby began to cry again, Anna winced, "Oops…"

A masculine voice came from the doorway, "Let me try something…" Anna watched as Kristoff walked into the room and sat on the sofa's armrest, "Reindeers are better than people. Anna, don't you think that's true?"

Anna stood up and continued to rock the baby back and forth while keeping her eyes on Henry, "Yeah, people will beat you and curse you and cheat you. Every one of em's bad, except you."

Kristoff stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Oh, thanks, sweetie. But people smell better than reindeers. Anna, don't you think I'm right?"

Anna started to giggle, "That's once again true, for all except you."

"You got me. Let's call it a night."

"Goodnight."

"Don't let the frostbite bite."

Rapunzel stood at the doorway with a smile on her face, "Nice duet…"

Kristoff quickly let go of Anna and tried to hide his blushing face as Anna just laughed at his adorable awkwardness, "Good morning, Rapunzel. What brings you over to this part of the castle?"

Rapunzel walked over to Anna and ran a gentle finger across Henry's little cheek, "I was out for a morning stroll when I heard this little guy crying and wanted to see if everything was okay. But I see you two handled everything just fine…"

Anna nudged the ice harvester, "Thank Kristoff, he swooped right in and saved me…like usual."

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, "It wasn't that heroic, Anna, I'm sure you would have handled it fine without me."

Rapunzel playfully punched the ice harvester, "Oh don't be so modest, Kristoff…it takes a special kind of man to have a natural way with children."

Anna curiously raised her eyebrows, "How's Eugene with kids?"

Rapunzel exuberantly smiled, "He loves them…" She energetically sat down on the sofa, "When he was growing up in the orphanage, he would read this book every night to all the younger kids, the tales of Flynnigan Ryder."

Eugene walked into the room, "Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive…" He sat down next to his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist, "Not bad with the ladies."

Anna giggled as she leaned against Kristoff, "So you two have been married for how long?"

Eugene rubbed the back of his neck, "Gosh, it seems like forever…" Rapunzel swatted his arm, "In a good way!"

Rapunzel gave him a look, "Eugene…" She looked back to Anna and Kristoff, "We've been married for four years now."

Anna's eyes widened, "Wow…so when do you two plan on settling down and having some children of your own?"

Eugene's face paled as Rapunzel wore a tightly forced smile, "We've discussed the idea of starting a family but it's not something you can just force to happen, you know? When it's our time, we'll be ready."

Anna beamed, "That's so great! I can't wait for you guys to become parents…I know you'll be a wonderful father, Eugene, and you'll be a fantastic mother, Rapunzel. I can almost just see you two cuddled together, smiling down at your little bundle of joy."

Rapunzel looked down into her lap, "Me too…"

Eugene could see her hands beginning to shake ever so slightly, and as he reached over to grasp her hand, Olaf gasped, "Rapunzel I almost forgot!" He scurried over to her and dramatically bowed as he held up an envelope, "I've got a letter here from Corona with your name on it."

Rapunzel snatched up the letter and stood up, "Thank you, Olaf…I think I'll go read this in my room. I'll see everyone at breakfast…" She quickly hurried out of the room, leaving an awkward atmosphere among the three adults.

Anna cautiously looked over at Eugene, "Did I say something wrong?"

Eugene tiredly rubbed his eyes, "No, Anna, it's just…babies are a sensitive topic for Rapunzel, right now."

Anna's shoulders slumped, "So I _did _say something wrong…aw man, I really need to learn how to keep my mouth shut."

Eugene shook his head, "It was unintentional, Anna, you didn't know so it's not your fault."

Kristoff put a hand on Anna's shoulder, "Eugene, if I may pry…what happened?"

"It's not my place to say…" He stood up and closed the door, ensuring them privacy, "For unknown reasons, Rapunzel and I just can't have a baby. We've gone to the doctor and we're waiting for an answer but, I don't know…" He leaned against the door and sighed, "Rapunzel is putting a lot of stress on herself, too, because she thinks it's her fault. But that's all I'm going to say…I'll spare you the sob story until there's a happy ending."

Anna placed the baby in his crib and walked over to Eugene, giving him a warm hug, "Eugene, I'm so sorry. Can I help with anything?"

Eugene gave her a one armed hug and a sad smile, "Don't act differently around Rapunzel…spending time with you and everyone else here has been a good distraction for her…and for me too." He opened the door, "I'd better go check on my wife…see you guys later."

After he left, Anna looked over at Kristoff with tears in her eyes, "Kristoff…?"

He held open his arms, "Come here…"

Anna ran into his arms, "It's not fair, Kristoff…they don't deserve this. After everything they've gone through-" She burst into tears.

Kristoff gently rubbed her back and rested his chin on her head, "I know, Anna…I know."

* * *

Eugene gently knocked on the door, "Rapunzel?" He could hear her sniffling inside, "I'm coming in, okay?" He slowly opened the door, "Hey, Blondie…" Rapunzel was splayed out on the bed with her face buried in the pillow. Eugene sat down beside her and rubbed her back, "Wanna talk?"

Rapunzel shook her head. Eugene smirked, "Bottling up your feelings won't help with anything…look what it did to Elsa."

Rapunzel kept her face buried in the pillow, "My magic is much less powerful than Elsa's."

"But you do have _some _magic in you…"

Rapunzel flipped over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, "It's not much, Eugene…and whatever I have left is not doing me much good." She sat up and looked at her husband with remorseful eyes, "I can heal anyone, except myself…why?"

Eugene shrugged, "I don't know, Rapunzel. Maybe that's the downfall of having these powers…they don't work on you."

"But the thing is, Eugene, they used to work on me, too. When I lived in the tower I would sew, bake, climb, stuff like that every day. And if I ever poked my finger or burned my hand or scrapped my knee, I would just wrap my hair around the wound and it would be healed by the end of the song. So what's the difference now?"

Eugene cautiously eyed her hair, "The difference is that your hair no longer possesses the magic."

Rapunzel's hands flew to her head, "Your right!" She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, "I never thought that I'd miss my hair so much…tell me the truth, Eugene, do you wish I still had my magical blonde hair?"

Eugene stood up and slowly walked over to her, "You want the truth?" He held her hands and looked directly into his wife's big green eyes, "Every day I look at you and I fall more and more in love with you because you mean that much more to me. Once in a while, I'll think back to the spunky blonde that tied me up to a chair with her hair or managed to get an entire gang of pub thugs to sing about their dreams, and I think about how much I couldn't stand you."

She furrowed her brow, "What?"

He gently squeezed her hands, "Let me finish…I couldn't stand you because you were so full of life, so innocent to the evil in the world and I envied you for that. But when you took the time to get to know the real me, that's when I began falling in love with you because even though you knew that I was a thief, you didn't judge me like everyone else had, you gave me a chance to open up and tell my side of the story. I fell in love with you because you bettered me, Rapunzel, you made me realize that I could change, that I didn't have to be a thief for all my life. So when I had the chance to save you in that tower, I didn't even need to think about it because I knew that more than anything in the world , I wanted you to continue living with all the freedom that we shared on our adventure together."

Rapunzel gave him a meek smile, "That's really very sweet, Eugene, but what does that have to do with my hair?"

Eugene smirked, "Absolutely nothing, because I didn't fall in love with your hair, Rapunzel, I fell in love with _you_. Your hair means absolutely nothing to me…although I do have a thing for brunettes." Rapunzel laughed as she threw her arms around him and gave him the biggest kiss she could muster. After their kiss, Eugene held her face in his hands, "I've never regretted cutting your hair in that tower and I really hope you feel the same way."

Rapunzel nodded, "I do now…"

Eugene gave her another quick kiss before looking around the room, "So what did the letter say?"

Rapunzel curiously raised her eyebrows, "Letter?"

Eugene smirked, "…The letter from Corona?"

Rapunzel covered her mouth as she gasped, "I completely forgot about it!" She ran over to her nightstand and tore it open, "It's from Mother and Father…" She quickly read the letter in silence before she sat down on the bed, "I can't believe it…"

Eugene ran over to her, "What?!"

Rapunzel dropped her face into her hands, "I'm so selfish!"

Eugene leaned against the nightstand, "What does the letter say, Rapunzel?"

"Mother and Father have come down with some illness and they need us to come back to Corona as soon as possible…they said it's nothing serious just a common bug but they have a lot of things that need to get done before autumn comes around."

Eugene thoughtfully nodded, "Okay…so why are you selfish?"

Rapunzel was feeling slightly exasperated, "Because this entire time I've been going on about me and my petty problems while my sick parents are back home needing us to run the kingdom. We must leave immediately after we tell everyone at breakfast." Rapunzel glanced at the clock, "It's only seven, which means we have thirty minutes to pack our things and gather the crew to ready our ship, prior to meeting for breakfast."

Rapunzel frantically began taking things out of drawers and throwing them into their luggage. Eugene chuckled as he grabbed his wife by the shoulders, "Slow down, Blondie…relax. I'll go handle the crew right now while you _calmly _pack up our things, okay?"

Rapunzel nodded, "Okay…just make sure you get back on time."

Eugene gave her a quick kiss and headed for the door, "Of course! Oh and by the way…" He turned around and gave her a somewhat serious look, "You're not selfish, Rapunzel. Never think or say that about yourself again, got it?"

Rapunzel gave him a curt nod and smiled, "Got it."

* * *

As everyone gathered in the dining room for breakfast, there was a mix of emotions in the air. Hans and Elsa were excited to tell everyone about their spontaneous vacation/honeymoon, Anna and Kristoff were still feeling remorse for the Corona couple, and Rapunzel and Eugene were feeling anxious about the sudden departure from their family and friends. Once everyone got settled in and started to eat, Rapunzel and Eugene locked eyes and decided that they should tell everyone the news before anything else was said. Rapunzel cleared her throat, "I have something to tell you guys…" Everyone stopped eating and looked at her, "My parents have fallen ill and although it's nothing serious, Eugene and I have to go back to Corona…today."

Anna frowned, "Today?! When today?"

Rapunzel looked at Eugene, making a look that told him to continue with the bad news, "We're leaving right after breakfast…we've already packed up our things and the crew has already been gathered."

Rapunzel sighed, "We're sorry to leave you all on such short notice, but it's our duty to run the kingdom while my parents recover and there's so much that needs to get done before autumn."

Hans uncertainly looked at Elsa because he knew that she only agreed to the vacation idea because Rapunzel and Eugene were going to stay in Arendelle with Anna and Kristoff. But she didn't even give a glance his way, "I completely understand the situation, you must do what is required of you and I can only admire that. Please do not feel bad about the sudden departure and you are always welcomed to come back whenever you wish."

Rapunzel smiled, "Thank you, Elsa. It's been a lot of fun staying here with all of you, it really has and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't going to miss every single one of you."

The rest of the meal was filled with small talk that really wasn't worth remembering. And before they knew it, Rapunzel and Eugene were at the docks saying their final goodbyes to their friends and family as the crew finished loading everything up. Rapunzel gave Elsa a warm hug, "Thanks again for inviting us to the wedding and for letting us stay with you afterwards. You have such a beautiful kingdom filled with such loyal citizens. You are doing an outstanding job as queen and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Elsa smiled, "Thank you, Rapunzel. And I hope that one day I'll be able to visit you and Eugene in Corona."

Rapunzel nodded, "You're always welcomed to stop by and stay for a little bit…" She looked over at Anna who was on the verge of tears, "As are you, Anna."

Anna practically jumped on Rapunzel and gave her a long hug, "I'm going to miss you so much! Who's going to slide down the banister or play with the ducklings by the pond or teasingly pick on Kristoff with me?"

Rapunzel laughed, "Hey, you've got Elsa to that with you…that's what sisters are for, right?"

Anna nodded as she wiped away a tear, "Don't feel like you have to be gone for too long okay?"

Rapunzel gave her an encouraging smile, "Don't worry…we'll see each other again before you know it." Rapunzel gave Kristoff a surprise hug, "Take care of my favorite cousin, Kristoff, she's slightly crazy so keep a close eye on this one."

Kristoff chuckled, "You have no idea _how _crazy she can get…sliding down a banister is nowhere near the craziness of jumping off a two hundred foot cliff."

Elsa looked at Anna with surprise and concern, "You did what?"

Anna slapped Kristoff, "Way to go, I kinda left that detail out."

Rapunzel just laughed as she gave Hans a quick hug, "Take care of my other favorite cousin, Hans, she may not be as crazy as her sister but trust me, she has a mischievous sassy side to her, too, that could take you for a spin."

Hans laughed, "Oh trust me, I already have some sort of idea…"

Eugene walked over to his wife, "Okay, everything's loaded and we're catching some good wind right now, so we better be going." Rapunzel nodded and they both walked up the gangplank together. Once the ship began to depart from the docks, Rapunzel gave one last wave and a final goodbye to all of her friends and family.

As soon as the ship was out of sight, Elsa looked over at Anna, "So what's this about jumping off a two hundred foot cliff?"

Anna bit her lip, "In all fairness, Kristoff and I were trying to escape from Marshmellow, who was chasing us down the mountain."

Elsa furrowed her brow, "Why was he chasing you?"

Anna opened her mouth, but Kristoff put a hand over it, "She may have kinda set him off by throwing a snowball at him."

Anna squirmed out of his grasp, "Hey, he bullied Olaf! I wasn't going to just stand by and watch!"

Kristoff looked at Elsa, "I told her to let the snowman be, but miss feisty pants here insisted on teaching him a lesson."

Elsa shook her head and sighed with a smile on her face, "Oh, Anna…"

* * *

It was late at night and the ocean winds had been helping the Corona couple travel much faster than they had anticipated. They were expecting to be back in Corona by morning two days from now, but instead they would be arriving by nightfall tomorrow. Eugene was already in bed with his eyes closed when Rapunzel finished brushing her short brown hair and climbed into bed, "Stop it."

Rapunzel looked over at him, "What?"

"Whatever you're worrying about. Just stop."

"How do you know I'm worried? You didn't even open your eyes."

Eugene smirked, still keeping his eyes closed, "You think I need to see you with my eyes to know what's going on with you."

Rapunzel placed her head on his strong sturdy chest, "You know me so well, it's actually quite frightening at times."

Eugene chuckled as he wrapped an arm around his wife, "So you have a decision to make: are you going to tell me what's bothering you or are you going to let it go and stop worrying about it?"

Rapunzel sighed, "I probably should tell you, since it kind of regards you as well."

He opened one eye and looked down at her, "Oh? What is it?"

Rapunzel bit her lip, "The letter we got from my parents…I didn't exactly tell you everything."

He opened his other eye and turned his head towards her, "What did you leave out?"

Rapunzel hesitated, "…They said the doctor also had some news to tell us and he wished to see us as soon as possible."


	3. Chapter 3

******************Hey Everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

******************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 3: News**

It was the end of a long day for those in the Arendelle castle. After Eugene and Rapunzel abruptly left in the morning, Hans, Elsa, Kristoff and Anna continued to finish up their ice trades among the last few kingdoms and then decided to turn in for an early evening. As Hans got ready for bed, Elsa sat down on the sofa, absentmindedly playing with the end of her signature braid. Hans noticed his wife's uneasiness and sat down beside her, "Penny for your thoughts…"

Elsa dropped her hair and looked at him with a blank expression, "Pardon?"

Hans picked up the end of her braid and twisted it in between his fingers, "You've been awfully quiet today since Rapunzel and Eugene left. What's up?"

Elsa pursed her lips, "Something doesn't seem right…Anna knows something that she's not telling me."

"Anna? But she tells you everything…what makes you think she's hiding something?"

"She was acting…different."

"She seemed like the same old bubbly Anna to me."

Elsa brought her knees up to her chest, "Yeah, but it seemed force somehow…like she was putting in the effort to be herself. It wasn't natural."

Hans smirked, "You might need that vacation more than I thought…I think you're losing it."

Elsa abruptly stood up and walked to the door, "I'm going to go talk to her."

Hans quickly followed after her, "Elsa, wait-"

"No, stay here…" She gave him a quick kiss and a kind smile, "I'll be right back."

Elsa walked down the hall to Anna's room and knocked on the door, "Anna? Are you awake?" When she didn't hear a reply, she put her ear to the door and tried to listen for the sound of Anna's snoring. But she couldn't hear anything at all. _Where on earth is my sister? _Elsa walked farther down the hall to Kristoff's room, "Kristoff? Are you in there?" Again, she heard nothing. _This is getting weird…where are those two? _

Elsa determinedly walked down the stairs and headed out into the courtyard, making a beeline to the stables. She quietly crept closer to the stable door when she heard murmured voices inside, "I think we should do something…I mean, we're welcome to stay with them so I think we should go and volunteer our services."

"Anna, I don't think we should be getting involved-"

"But we _are _involved, Kristoff…when Eugene opened up to the both of us, we became involved with the situation."

"I don't know…I don't like looking for trouble. How could we even help? It's kind of a personal thing."

"Well, we can help them adopt a child…"

"I don't think they need our help in adopting a child."

"Good point…oh! Maybe we can have a baby for them! Of course we'd have to get married first-"

"Anna! Are you crazy?! Do you even hear yourself?!"

Elsa slowly opened the door, "Anna, are you in here? She decided that it would be best to pretend that she wasn't just outside eavesdropping on their conversation.

Anna's head popped out from an empty stall in the very back of the stables, "Oh hey, Elsa!" She hurriedly walked over to her sister, "Whatcha up to?"

Elsa looked around the stables, "Are you alone in here?"

Anna sheepishly grinned, "Ahh…no." She ran back to the stall and pulled Kristoff out by the arm, "Kristoff is here, too!"

As they both walked over, Elsa gave them a skeptical look, "Are we behaving ourselves?" She decided she was going to have some fun with them. Both Kristoff and Anna's cheeks turned a bright shade of red, making Elsa laugh, "I'm just teasing, I know you two are innocent."

Anna giggled, "We were just talking, I swear!"

Elsa smirked as she picked up a piece of hay, "I know, I know…" She gave Kristoff a look as she slowly began freezing the hay, "Kristoff knows better because he knows what I'm capable of…" She dropped the frozen piece of hay and gave an impish grin as it shattered into tiny little pieces on the floor.

Kristoff swallowed as his eyes widened, "We were just discussing the situation between Rapunzel and Eugene." His voice cracked a little bit when he spoke.

Anna swatted his arm, "Kristoff! That was private information!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "What's the situation?"

Anna absentmindedly kicked a pebble, "Well, we don't know the whole story because Eugene only gave us a quick rundown…he didn't want to say too much without Rapunzel's consent so we don't exactly have all the details-"

Elsa crossed her arms, "Anna…"

Anna sighed, "Rapunzel and Eugene are having baby troubles…as in they can't have one."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Wait, what?"

Kristoff avoided eye contact with her, "Eugene confessed to us before breakfast that, for unknown reasons, he and Rapunzel can't have a baby. He said they went to the doctor but they hadn't heard back yet and that Rapunzel's putting a lot of stress on herself because she thinks it's her fault."

Elsa looked back and forth between them, "And?"

Anna shrugged, "That's it, that's all we know."

"Is that why you were acting strange today?"

Anna feigned surprise, "I wasn't acting str-" Elsa gave her a look, "Okay, yes, that's why I was acting strange. Please don't let them know I told you."

Elsa smiled, "Its fine Anna, I can keep a secret. Actually, I needed to talk to you about something else."

Kristoff began to walk towards the door, "I'll leave you two alone…"

Elsa turned around to the ice harvester, "Kristoff? You should probably hear this too since it also kind of concerns you." Kristoff nodded and walked back over to them. Elsa took a deep breath, "Before Rapunzel and Eugene announced their sudden departure, Hans and I were going to make an announcement at breakfast today…"

Anna gasped, "You're pregnant?!"

"No!" Elsa blushed, "Anna, please get off the baby thing."

Now, it was Anna's turn to blush, "Sorry…"

Elsa cleared her throat, "We discussed the option of taking a vacation or a late honeymoon, if you will, next month and we wanted to know if you, Anna, were comfortable in running the kingdom for about two weeks while we we're gone."

Anna happily gasped, "You guys are going on a honeymoon after all?! That's so great! I'm so happy for you!"

Elsa smiled, "Thank you, Anna, but are you comfortable running the kingdom while I'm gone?"

Anna began hopping up and down, "Where are you going?"

"London. Now, Anna-"

"London?! OH, I've always wanted to go there! I hear it's so quaint and beautiful-"

"Anna, are you okay with-"

"When are you leaving?"

"Next week."

"Oh my goodness, are you excited?!"

"Anna!"

Anna blankly looked at her sister, "What?"

Elsa tried not to laugh, "Are you okay with being in charge while we're gone?"

Anna scoffed and dismissively waved her hand, "Oh, yeah, sure. No sweat."

Kristoff cleared his throat, "Where do I come in?"

Elsa turned to him, "I want you to also oversee things while we're gone, in case there are some last minute trade issues. Hans and I will try to wrap everything by the end of this week, but just in case I want you to be present."

Kristoff nodded, "Of course."

Elsa looked back and forth between them, "You two will be okay, right? Because if you feel like it's too-"

"Elsa?" Anna gave her a quick hug, "We'll be fine…you can trust us."

Elsa smiled as she hugged her sister back, "I know."

Once they drew apart, Anna wiggled her eyebrows at her sister, "So, are you looking forward to your trip?"

* * *

It was already past midnight, by the time Elsa quietly crept back into her room. Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa all stayed up talking together about everything from the ice trades to Rapunzel and Eugene's situation. By the time, Elsa finally slid into bed she could hear Hans's steady breathing and sighed; _I guess I won't be able to rest my head on his chest tonight. Hopefully, the nightmares won't come back._ She turned onto her side and closed her eyes, and just as she was about to nod off she heard her husband stir, "Elsa?"

Elsa turned over and noticed that he was still sleeping, "Please wake up. Don't leave me like this…I can't go on without you." He was breathing very heavy and little beads of sweat began to form along his brow, "I never knew a man could feel things like this. You've changed my whole world." Elsa intently watched him as he swallowed in his sleep, "You mean the world to me. I just got you back…I can't take losing you again."

Elsa's eyes widened as she began to gently shake him, "Hans? Hans, honey, please wake up."

Suddenly he woke up with a gasp and wildly looked around, "Elsa!"

Elsa placed a calm hand on his arm, "Hans…I'm right here. It was just a bad dream."

Hans looked at her for a brief moment and then he suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, "I've never been so relieved to hear your voice." He nuzzled his head in her neck and took in a deep breath of her scent, "I love you…" He gave her a gentle kiss, "I love you so much."

He rested his forehead against hers and looked at her with such adoration. Elsa could see tears brim his eyes, "What happened?"

Hans smirked, "Nightmare…I guess I need you at night as much as you need me."

Elsa kissed his cheek, "I guess this proves that we need each other more than we know."

Hans lay back down and with Elsa's head on his chest, he began stroking her hair, "I never sent the letter…"

"What letter?"

"The response letter to my brother, Gregory, in London…I wanted to make sure that you didn't change your mind about our trip because of Rapunzel and Eugene leaving. I know you originally agreed thinking that they'd be here-"

"Hans…it's okay. I already talked to Anna and Kristoff about it and they're confident that they can handle everything. You can send the letter to your brother tomorrow."

He kissed the top of her head, "As you wish, my love…goodnight, Elsa."

Elsa smiled, "Goodnight, Hans."

* * *

After another gracious day of good strong winds, Rapunzel and Eugene were pulling into the Corona docks not long after nightfall. Rapunzel sighed as she took in all the lights of the village, "It sure does feel nice to be home, doesn't it? It's like there's something inside of you that just feels relaxed and comforted when you return after a long time away."

Eugene wrapped his arms around her from behind, "So I take it you're feeling better?"

Rapunzel smiled up at him, "Oh, yeah…I was just nauseas from the boat rocking back and forth so much. Although the winds were helpful, it was a bit of a rough ride over wasn't it?"

Eugene smirked, "I really didn't think so, but maybe I'm used to travelling more than you."

Rapunzel looked back at the lights, "That's probably it…" Rapunzel let out a small yawn, "Aw, man, I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm so tired…"

Eugene furrowed his brow, "You slept in until noon, today…that's unusual for anyone, especially you."

Rapunzel shrugged, "I know…perhaps it's just the stress of everything going on. It could be taking its toll on me."

Once they're ship was secured in the docks, the couple walked down the gangplank and into the village where the citizens happily welcomed them, "Its Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene! They're back!" The people gathered around and bowed as the couple happily smiled and waved. Little girls and boys ran up and gave Rapunzel a bunch of stray wildflowers and the girls would giggle and blush when Eugene would smile and wink at them.

By the time Rapunzel and Eugene made it to the castle they're cheeks were hurting from smiling so big and for so long. One of the head servants bowed as the couple walked into the castle, "Welcome home, Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene."

Rapunzel politely smiled, "Thank you…are my parents still awake?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, Your Highness…they are waiting for both of you in their room as we speak."

Rapunzel bowed her head, dismissing the servant, "Okay, thank you."

Rapunzel walked towards the stairs with a sense of urgency, until Eugene grabbed her hand, "What's the rush, Blondie? We just got here and you're already starting to stress out."

Rapunzel seemed slightly frazzled, "My parents need their rest, so I don't want to keep them waiting…" She pulled her hand free and began jogging up the stairs, "And right after that, we have to meet with the doctor."

Eugene caught up with her once they reached the top of the stairs, "Rapunzel?" He held her face in his hands and he lightly kissed her forehead, "Everything's going to be okay."

Rapunzel gave him a half-hearted smile, "We'll see…" They silently walked to her parents' door and Rapunzel gently knocked, "Father? Mother? Are you awake?"

She heard a few coughs, "…Come in, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel poked her head in with a smile, "Hello…" She ran inside and gave them both a hug as Eugene closed the door, "How are you guys feeling?"

The King gave her a warm smile, "Better…knowing that you two are safely back home helps."

Eugene walked over to the bed and politely bowed with a smile, "The weather on the way home was quite pleasant and extremely helpful in getting us back home sooner than we expected, Your Majesty."

The King laughed, "How many times do I have to tell you, Eugene, call me Dad or Father if you really insist on being formal."

Eugene chuckled, "Sorry, Father…I'm not used to having parents."

The Queen apologetically smiled at Rapunzel and Eugene, "I'm sorry we had to drag you two back here…how was the wedding?"

Rapunzel excitedly jumped onto the large bed and sat by their feet, "It was beautiful! Oh, I wish you guys could have come! Elsa looked stunning in her dress and you could tell that the love between her and Hans was genuine and true. The way he looks at her just melts your heart…Oh! And Anna looked just as pretty, she's such a sweetheart and she's has her own special beau, too. His name is Kristoff, I think I already mentioned him after the last time we were there, but anyways, he is such a big teddy bear! Oh, but you'd never say it to his face, of course, but he cares so much about Anna and he's just so sweet-"

Eugene put his hand on his wife's shoulder, "Rapunzel…do you need a moment?"

Rapunzel looked up at him, "Pardon?"

"You look like you were on the verge of tears…"

The Queen worriedly looked at her daughter, "It's true, honey…is everything alright?"

Rapunzel looked at all the concern faces around her and slightly blushed, "Yeah, I mean, yes…I'm fine."

Eugene looked at his in-laws, "So in the letter you said that you needed us to run the kingdom and help with some things before autumn comes…?"

The King nodded, "Ah, yes…well, we really weren't expecting you two to get back so late. Perhaps we can just go over the schedule tomorrow?"

Eugene nodded, "Yes, of course…sorry to keep you both up."

Rapunzel hugged each of them one last time, "Get better! I'll see you tomorrow!"

After everyone bid their goodnights, Rapunzel and Eugene made their way downstairs. Eugene looked at his wife and held her hand as they continued walking, "They looked like they were doing very well…"

Rapunzel nodded as she intertwined their fingers, "Well, they did say it wasn't anything serious-"

She suddenly stopped walking, which made Eugene go on high alert, "What's wrong?"

Rapunzel held up one finger to her lips, signaling him to remain quiet as she slowly turned around. Then suddenly she reached out grabbed something beside a vase, "Gotcha!" In her hand was a little purple chameleon that was panting and slowly changing back to his original green color, "That's 62 for me…so next time will be 63 out of 125." The chameleon stuck his tongue out at her, "Hey, that's no way to treat someone who just got home."

Pascal chirped and wiggled out of her grasp, then climbed up her arm and nuzzled himself against her cheek, "It good to see you too, buddy…now say hello to Eugene."

The chameleon suspiciously eyed her husband and then suddenly shot his tongue out at him, but Eugene's reflexes were prepared this time and he simply put his hand in front of his face and held the little reptile in his hand, "You're going to need to find some new tricks, Pascal, I'm getting pretty good at deflecting your attacks." The chameleon sheepishly grinned and gently patted Eugene's hand with his own little foot. Eugene laughed, "Why don't you go tell Max that we're back? We kind of have some important things to discuss with the doctor." Pascal nodded and scampered down Eugene and took off down the hall.

Rapunzel smiled as her little friend disappeared around the corner, "I knew you two would get along…eventually."

Eugene chuckled as he began walking, "Oh sure, if you mean by him attacking me with that tongue of his everyday, then sure we're getting along just fine."

Rapunzel laughed, "I can't believe you're having a competition with a chameleon."

Eugene playfully rolled his eyes and looked at his wife, "Me? Okay, wait right there, Blondie. What was that whole '62 for me…so next time will be 63 out of 125' thing all about then?"

Rapunzel scoffed, "That's not a competition, I'm _clearly _beating him by a long shot so I just play along now, there's no way he'll ever catch up."

Eugene smirked, "I think you and I have very different definitions of competition…"

Rapunzel knocked on the doctor's door, and then she gave Eugene a long kiss, "What's our score?"

Eugene proudly smiled, "5 for me and 2 for you."

Rapunzel frowned, "I'm going to have to work on that."

The doctor opened up his door, "Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene! I'm glad you two are back…and so soon too!"

Rapunzel nodded as they went inside, "Yes, you told my parents that you needed to see us as soon as possible?"

The doctor walked over to his desk, "Yes, I did…please sit down." After everyone sat down, the doctor took off his glasses, "I think I found out the cause of your infertility, Rapunzel."

Eugene skeptically raised an eyebrow, "You _think_?"

Rapunzel ignored her husband as she leaned forward on her seat, "What?!"

The doctor leaned back in his chair, "You see, years ago, when the Queen was about to have a baby, she got sick, really, sick. So the people began to look for a miracle, which turned out to be a magical golden flower. The magic of the golden flower healed the Queen, and a healthy baby girl, a princess was born, with beautiful golden hair…that baby was you, Princess Rapunzel."

Eugene sighed, "Yes, we all know this story…the golden flower gave Rapunzel's golden hair magical healing abilities that she no longer possesses because her hair was cut and it turned brown and lost the magic. What does this actually have to do with the problem at hand?"

The doctor put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward, "The reason that the Queen had gotten deathly ill during her pregnancy was because she had a hereditary disability that originally kept her from getting pregnant. By some miracle, she eventually did get pregnant but that's why she came down with such a terrible illness that nearly killed her. Princess Rapunzel, I'm sorry to say that her hereditary infertility gene has been passed on to you."

Rapunzel's eyes began to tear up, "So you're saying that I'll _never _have a baby?"

The doctor sadly nodded, "Basically…I'm sorry Your Highness."

Eugene leaned forward and placed a hand on the desk, "But you said her mother had that same genetic trait and yet she still got pregnant…why not Rapunzel, then?"

The doctor thought it over, "Well, I guess she technically _could_ get pregnant, but like the Queen, she would fall deathly ill…killing herself and the baby. And there is no magical golden flower that could miraculously heal her this time."

Eugene drummed his fingers against the desk, and then abruptly stood up, "Can I talk to you alone, doctor?"

The doctor blinked a few times, "Of course…we can go talk in the observation room."

As the two men moved to another room, Rapunzel worriedly watched her husband, "Eugene?"

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about a thing, Blondie…"

As soon as the men walked into the room and closed the door, Eugene pinched the bridge of his nose, "Symptoms of pregnancy…what are they?"

The doctor hesitated, "Uh…food cravings, mood swings, nausea with or without vomiting, fatigue-" Eugene suddenly slammed his fist down onto the observation table, scaring the poor doctor, "Prince Eugene! What's wrong?"

Eugene placed both hands on the observation table and hung his head, "I think my wife may be pregnant…"

The doctor raised his eyebrows, "What? Why?"

"She almost broke down in tears while telling her parents how wonderful Queen Elsa's wedding was-"

"Weddings usually make women cry-"

"Rapunzel was nauseas most of the time we were on the ship-"

"She could have been sea sick-"

"She slept in until noon-"

That caught the doctor's attention, "Until _noon_?!" Eugene just solemnly nodded, and the doctor smiled, "Well, congratulations, Prince Eugene, you're going to have a baby!" Eugene looked over at the doctor until realization hit him, "Oh no! That means-"

Eugene took in a shaky breath, "She's going to die a slow painful death…along with my child." Eugene could feel waves of anger building up inside of him until he just couldn't take it anymore.

He suddenly lashed out and flung his arm across a row of empty glass jars and bottles causing a loud crash that caught Rapunzel's attention, "Eugene?!" She ran over to the door and tried to jiggle the door handle but it was locked, "Eugene!"

By the time his rage was over, the observation table was flipped over, another shelf of empty jars were shattered on the floor, a wooden chair was broken into pieces beside a broken mirror, and Eugene leaned against the wall and helplessly fell to the floor, crying into his now bloody hands. The doctor finally opened the door and Rapunzel ran inside and gasped when she saw how disastrous the room was, "Eugene, what happened in here?" When her eyes landed on her distressed husband she ran over to him and practically fell to her knees beside him, "Eugene, what happened to you?!"

Eugene gave her one of his most charming smiles, despite the tears running down his cheeks, "I'm just upset about you not being able to have a baby…I guess I sort of lost it."

Rapunzel looked him over and gasped when she saw his bloody hands, "Oh Eugene, what have you done?" She quickly stood up and grabbed some supplies to clean his open wounds, "This may sting a little…"

The doctor stood in the back of the room and closely watched as Rapunzel cleaned out her husband's wounds, barely causing him to flinch in pain. Afterwards, she gently put her hand on his cheek and looked him in the eye, "Everything's going to be okay. We'll get through this…we always do."

Eugene gave her a sad smile and kissed the palm of her hand that was on his cheek, "I love you so much, Rapunzel. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

Rapunzel reached for his hands and closed her eyes, "Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine…what once was mine." She let her tears fall into the palm of his hands and by the end of the song, his wounds were good as new. She gave him a sweet smile when he looked up at her, "Better?"

Eugene sighed, "We'll see…"

They both stood up and wrapped their arms around each other and stayed in a warm embrace for a minute until the doctor spoke up, "You still have your powers?"

Rapunzel jumped a little bit, "Oh! I didn't know you were watching."

The doctor took a step forward, "I apologize, Your Highness I should have made my presence known…how do your powers work exactly?"

Rapunzel kept her arm around her husband's waist, "My tears can heal as long as I sing a certain incantation. It works for anything and for everyone…except myself."

The doctor methodically rubbed his chin, "I might be able to use your tears as a component in some form of medicine to heal your infertility problem and…" He looked at Eugene, "Anything else."

Eugene and Rapunzel both responded at the same time, "Really?!"

The doctor smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, I just need to run some medical tests on you, Princess, then in a few days I should have the medicine ready."

Rapunzel excitedly bounced up and down, "And then I can have a baby?"

"Actually…" He caught Eugene's eye, and then cleared his throat "…yes, the option of having a child will be available."

Rapunzel happily squealed as she threw her arms around her husband's neck, "This may be the best news I've heard in a long time!"

Eugene laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and spun her around, "This _is _the best news I've heard in a long time!"

After Eugene and Rapunzel let go of each other, Rapunzel ran over to the doctor and gave him a hug as well, "Thank you doctor! Thank you so much!"

The doctor awkwardly patted her on the back, "It's my duty, Princess, as the doctor to make sure that everyone in the royal family is kept healthy and happy as much as possible. How about we start those tests tomorrow afternoon?"

Rapunzel let go of him, "Absolutely! We should go to bed, Eugene, we have a big day tomorrow."

Eugene smiled at his wife, "We sure do."


	4. Chapter 4

**************Hey Guys! I hope everyone is doing well! I'm happy to say that this chapter finally contains some major progress towards the plot of the story. Thank you for all the reviews and please keep some more coming. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter and, finally, Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 4: Journeys to London**

Eugene slowly opened up his eyes and a smile grew on his face when his eyes rested on his beautiful wife's sleeping face; _I'm so lucky to have this woman in my life…_ He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, causing her to stir, "Rise and shine, Blondie."

Rapunzel groaned and turned away from her husband, "No…it's too early."

Eugene stretched, "It's past eight…we already missed breakfast and we're going to miss the meeting with your parents if we don't get up soon."

Rapunzel brought the covers up to her chin, "The key word is _soon_,Eugene…so wake me up in five minutes."

Eugene chuckled, "As much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all morning, we need to get up."

"Fine…" She sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Do you want to get ready first?"

Eugene hopped out of bed and walked around to Rapunzel's side of the bed, "And give you a chance to fall back to sleep?" He began to tickle her, "I don't think so!"

Rapunzel shrieked in delight and tried to talk but she couldn't form any words over her laughter. Finally she managed to yell, "Okay! Okay! I'm awake!"

Eugene stopped tickling her and smugly smiled, "I win."

Rapunzel rolled out of bed and stood up, "Not everything's a competition, you know…"

Eugene laughed, "You're the competitive one in the relationship, Blondie, not me."

Rapunzel sheepishly smiled, "Competition is healthy, right?"

Eugene chuckled as he walked to his wardrobe, "So I've heard…" Rapunzel took a few steps and immediately nausea over came her as she stumbled against the bed. Eugene ran over to her, "Rapunzel, are you okay?"

Rapunzel rubbed her head, "I feel really dizzy…maybe I just got up too quickly."

_Symptoms of pregnancy…food cravings, mood swings, nausea with or without vomiting, fatigue… _Eugene furrowed his brow, "I think you should go back to bed."

Rapunzel's mouth fell open, "You're kidding right? I just woke up, thanks to you."

Eugene picked her up and placed her on the bed, "Yeah, but…you haven't been feeling well in the mornings recently so I think you should just go back to sleep until the nausea wears off. I'll talk to your parent about moving the meeting to a later time."

Her eyes began to slowly fill with concern, "Should I be worried, Eugene?"

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Absolutely not. Now get some rest…"

He quickly changed into his proper clothes and as he made his way to the door, Rapunzel yawned, "Eugene? When you come back, could you bring me some hazelnut soup? I don't know why, but I've been craving that since we left Arendelle."

_Of course, you have… _Eugene chuckled, "Sure thing, Blondie."

* * *

Eugene quickly made his way to the King's study and burst through the doors, "Sorry I'm late Your Maje-I mean, Father…Rapunzel and I overslept but it'll never happen again, I promise-"

"Eugene, it's alright." The King kindly smiled, "We figured you two would sleep in anyways since you arrived so late last night." He looked past Eugene, "Where is my daughter?"

Eugene closed the door behind him, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about…Rapunzel, wasn't feeling quite well this morning so I wanted to ask if we could possibly move this meeting to a later time?"

The King understandably nodded, "Of course, we don't have anything else going on today since we're avoiding outside interaction until we've fully recovered."

The Queen furrowed her brow, "Eugene, what's wrong with her?"

"She was just a little dizzy and nauseas this morning, I told her to sleep off the nausea so she should be fine after eating some lunch."

The Queen's eye filled with concern, "Has she seen the doctor?"

Eugene shook his head, "Not today, no, but we did visit him last night after we left your room."

The King raised his eyebrows, "How did that go?"

Eugene ran his hand through to his hair, "It's a rather long and complicated story…perhaps we should discuss it later when Rapunzel is around to help me with the details?"

The King stood up, "You're absolutely right, this concerns both of you, and I want to discuss it while the two of you are present. Shall we resume this meeting at say…three this afternoon?"

Eugene nodded, "Of course, Father, we'll be here."

The King and Queen walked out of the room and left Eugene alone in the study. He looked at the clock; _It's only eight-thirty and Rapunzel won't be up for at least another three hours…maybe I'll go visit Max. _Eugene made his way to the stables while taking a short detour through the kitchen. Once he walked into the stables he saw Maximus and Pascal in the middle of a conversation; _I wonder what they're talking about…do they even understand each other? Well, Rapunzel understands the little reptile, so why not a horse? I've seen weirder things than this… _Eugene walked up to the two sidekicks, "Hey Max…hey Pascal."

Pascal happily chirped as Maximus whinnied his welcoming reply. Eugene leaned against the stable door, "I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to stop by and say hello to you sooner Max, but you know how it is." The horse snorted as he nodded but then Maximus began to wildly sniff the air, making Eugene laugh, "I can't get anything by you, Max, can I?" Eugene presented an apple from behind his back, "I brought you a little something…" Maximus suspiciously looked at Eugene, "I didn't steal these…they're from the kitchen." Maximus happily snatched up the apple, "Well, I guess I technically did steal the apple from the kitchen while no one was looking…" Maximus froze as a look of shock and guilt spread on his face, making Pascal and Eugene laugh, "Sorry, Max, old habits die hard…"

Pascal jumped on Eugene's arm and scurried up to his shoulder with a look of concern on his face, "You want to know what happened with the doctor last night, don't you?" The chameleon nodded along with Maximus; _I guess I'm starting to understand these guys after all. _Eugene smiled, "Okay…well, it's a kind of a long story so I hope you guys are up for it."

* * *

It was twelve thirty by the time Eugene and Rapunzel made it to the doctor's office. After talking to Maximus and Pascal, Eugene went to the kitchen to get some hazelnut soup for his wife and knocked on the door at around eleven forty-five. He was pleasantly surprised to find that she was already up and feeling better when he gave her the soup. Now they were both waiting in the doctor's observation room, until the doctor came back from checking on the King and Queen. Rapunzel nervously fidgeted, "What do you think he's going to do to me?"

Eugene looked around at all the different jars and vials, "I haven't the foggiest idea…perhaps he'll do a routine physical to see if you're in good health and then perhaps he'll take some blood samples."

Rapunzel bit her lip, "Blood samples…I don't like the sound of that."

Eugene raised an eyebrow at her, "You're not afraid of blood, are you?"

Rapunzel shook her head, "I'm not afraid of the blood, I'm afraid of the needles…I hate needles."

As Eugene was about to respond, the doctor opened the door and strode into the room, "Good afternoon, Prince Eugene and Princess Rapunzel, how are we feeling today?"

He walked over to the observation table and took out several different tools, which made Rapunzel nervous, "I'm fine."

Eugene gave her a strange look, "Rapunzel woke up feeling dizzy and nauseas this morning."

The doctor raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And are you feeling better now, Princess?"

Rapunzel nodded, "I'm fine."

The doctor chuckled, "Princess, I'm going to need you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

Rapunzel slowly nodded, "Okay…"

The doctor took out his clip board, "Have you been having any food cravings lately?"

"Yes, hazelnut soup…"

"Unusual levels of fatigue?"

"Yes…"

"I've already been informed of your nausea…does it last all day?"

"No, just in the mornings…"

"Any mood swings?"

"I don't have mood swings! Do I?"

Eugene chuckled as the doctor tried to hide his smile by writing notes on his clipboard, "I'll take that as a yes." After he finished writing, he put the clipboard down and looked at Rapunzel, "Princess, please lie down on the observation table." Rapunzel obediently did what she was told as the doctor brought over his tray of tools, "This shouldn't take long at all."

Eugene leaned against the wall on the far side of the room, "Good because we have a meeting with the King and Queen this afternoon at three."

The doctor smiled, "Well, I could try to get the results done before then so you could tell them the news."

Rapunzel raised her eyebrows, "Good news?"

The doctor gently patted her hand, "We'll see."

* * *

It was two forty-five by the time the doctor finished up his evaluation and walked back into his office, where Rapunzel and Eugene had been waiting for an hour and a half. He walked over to his desk and opened up a file, "Well, your highnesses…I've got the news you two have been waiting a long time to hear."

Rapunzel nervously smiled, "It's only been an hour or so…not that long of a wait."

The doctor put the file down and took off his glasses, "I'm talking about the seventh month wait, Princess."

Rapunzel gasped, "You mean…?"

The doctor smiled, "Congratulations, Prince Eugene and Princess Rapunzel! You're having a baby!"

Rapunzel squealed in delight as she jumped up from her chair and practically jumped on her husband, "We're going to have a baby Eugene! We're going to be parents!"

Eugene laughed as he tightly wrapped his arms around her, "I'm so happy for you, Rapunzel, you deserve this."

Rapunzel began to weep, "And this happened without my magic tears!"

The doctor took out a vial, "Sorry to interrupt but I'm going to need those tears."

Rapunzel let go of her husband, "What? Why?"

The doctor began to collect the tears, "To keep you and your baby healthy, Princess…we don't want you to fall ill like the Queen, so I need to use these tears in the medicine I'm making for you."

Rapunzel smiled and nodded, "Of course…"

After the doctor collected enough tears, he smiled, "Now, if I recall correctly, you two have a meeting to get to."

Rapunzel gasped, "You're right!" She grabbed her husband's hand, "We need to go!" As they hurried out of the room, Rapunzel yelled over her shoulder, "Thank you, Doctor!" When Rapunzel and Eugene were almost to the King's study, Eugene suddenly stopped, "What's wrong, Eugene?"

He stood there and just looked at his wife's glowing face before he reached for her and gave her a long loving kiss. They stayed in that embrace for a while, before they finally had to part, "I figured this was the only good time to give you a kiss. I couldn't do it while the doctor was there and I certainly won't do it while your parents are watching so-"

Rapunzel gave him another kiss, "This is perfect." She grabbed his hand and they both walked in the King's study, where the King and Queen were both drinking tea and reading a book, "Good afternoon, Father and Mother."

They both looked up and smiled upon seeing their daughter. The Queen put her book down on the table, "Good afternoon, Rapunzel, how are you feeling?"

Rapunzel squeezed Eugene's hand, "I'm doing very well, now. How about you guys?"

The King took a sip of tea, "We're doing a whole lot better, and perhaps the doctor will clear us for duty in a week or two. But until then, we need you two to handle some things for us."

As Eugene and Rapunzel sat on the sofa, the King took out a letter, "The Kingdom of Great Britain has sent us an invitation to a special event in London celebrating King William IV ascendance to the throne."

Rapunzel excitedly began bouncing up and down, "London?! We get to go to London?!"

But Eugene was less thrilled, "What business do we have with the Kingdom of Great Britain?"

The King handed him the letter, "Ever since Great Britain lost their colonies in the New World, they've been trying to gain more stable alliances with other smaller surrounding kingdoms. And that leads us to your next order of business."

The Queen leaned forward, "While you two are in London to attend the special event, you also have a scheduled meeting with the London Parliament to deal with the alliance between Corona and Great Britain."

Eugene furrowed his brow, "Do we really want an alliance with Great Britain, though? We know what they did to the New World and look what that led to…war. Should we be worried that history may repeat itself?"

The King understandably nodded, "I see what you're getting at Eugene, but whether we like it or not, the Kingdom of Great Britain is getting stronger and more powerful. At this point, it's better to join them now instead of fighting them later."

Eugene nodded, although clearly unhappy about the decision, as Rapunzel cleared her throat, "When are the event and the meeting?"

The Queen handed them an invitation each, "The event will be held on the evening of September fifth but your meeting with Parliament is scheduled on the afternoon of September third. You will be departing on the morning of September first. Is that alright?"

Eugene and Rapunzel both nodded as the Queen sat back and smiled, "So…what news do you bring from the doctor?"

Eugene and Rapunzel looked at each with big grins on their faces. Eugene held Rapunzel's hands and gave her a nod, "I'm going to let you tell them."

Rapunzel looked back at her parents and happily squealed, "We're going to have a baby!"

The King and Queen both excitedly stood up and embraced their daughter in a hug. The Queen happily cried, "I'm so happy for you dear! After all of this infertility talk I was beginning to have my doubts but you guys did it!"

The King patted Eugene's shoulder, "When did you two find out?"

Eugene was grinning from ear to ear, "We just found out right now…right before the meeting, I mean."

The Queen had one arm around Rapunzel and the other around Eugene, "So what do you know about the baby?"

Rapunzel giggled, "Nothing. All we know is that I'm pregnant and then we had to hurry to meet you guys."

The King walked over to the door, "Well, then let's get the doctor over here so we can learn more about the future heir of Corona." He stuck his head out into the hallway and asked a servant to fetch the doctor. In a matter of minutes, the doctor joined the royal family and the rest of the afternoon was filled with excited chatter and informational conversations.

* * *

It was a cool September morning in Arendelle as Anna and Kristoff were saying their goodbyes to Elsa and Hans at the docks, before the couple embarked on their journey to London. Anna gave her sister another hug, which was the twelfth one this morning, "Be safe and have fun, but not too much fun that you decide that you don't want to come back."

Elsa laughed, "You really think I'd leave you, alone, in charge of Arendelle? You should know me better than that."

Anna giggled, "Well, you might end up liking London way more than Arendelle."

Elsa took in a deep breath as she looked over her kingdom and the landscape that surrounded it, "I highly doubt that…this is where I belong, this is my home." She gave her sister a warm smile, "And no matter what, I'll always come home."

The Captain approached the group, "Queen Elsa, everything is onboard and the ship's set to sail whenever you're ready."

Elsa nodded, "We should probably go." She looked at Kristoff, "Make sure my sister doesn't go jumping off cliffs again or something ridiculous like that."

Kristoff smiled, "You have my word."

Anna gave Hans a quick hug, "Take care of my sister and make sure she comes back home safe…" Anna lowered her voice, "Between me and you, I don't think I could handle ruling Arendelle by myself for more than three weeks."

Hans gave her a playful wink, "Don't worry, Anna, your secret's safe with me."

Hans and Kristoff gave each other a curt nod as the sisters hugged one last time. Hans then offered Elsa his arm, "Shall we, my lady?"

Elsa smiled as she took his arm, "We shall."

Anna waved the entire time they departed from the docks, and after they left, she looked at Kristoff, "So what do you want to do now?"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have a kingdom to run?"

Anna grinned as she grabbed his hand, "_We _have a kingdom to run…let's go!" Anna began running back to the castle, "I want to teach you how to slide down the banister!"

* * *

Back in Corona, the same farewell gathering was taking place at the docks. Rapunzel hugged her parents, "I'll miss you…its funny, I feel like we just got home."

Eugene shook hands with the King, "We'll get the alliance settled, represent Corona at the event and be back home in a week's time."

Rapunzel muttered under her breath, "Maybe a little more than a week's time."

Eugene raised his eyebrows, "What?"

Rapunzel sheepishly smiled, "Well, I read that London has a large steel company that produces tons of frying pans, all of great quality…so I thought we could stay a little bit longer to sight see some shops and steel companies?"

Eugene looked back at the King and Queen, "We'll be home in a week's time."

"But, Eugene-"

"Rapunzel…" He put his arm around her as he whispered into her ear, "We'll discuss this later."

Eugene and Rapunzel both walked up the gangplank and waved goodbye to the King and Queen until they were out of sight. Eugene looked at Rapunzel, "You brought the medicine the doctor gave you, right?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, "For the fifth time, yes, I have the medicine. Quit worrying, Eugene." She realized that his attention was elsewhere when he gave her a half-hearted smile and looked at the water. Rapunzel leaned against the railing, "But I have a feeling that the baby isn't the only thing you're worried about. Spill it, Fitzherbert, what's wrong?"

Eugene sighed, "Have you ever had a bad feeling about something that was so strong you can't help but worry?"

"Like, when you took me to see the lights for the first time and then afterwards you took the satchel and left me alone at the shore? You know, before the Stabbington Brothers tried to kidnap me."

Eugene winced, "Geez, are you going to ever forgive me for that? I was ambushed and knocked unconscious, I had the intention of coming back for you but my fellow comrades had other plans for me."

"Eugene…" She kissed his cheek, "I have forgiven you." Rapunzel wrapped her arms around him, "And whatever happens, we'll get through it together. We've been through worse and survived…we make a good team, Eugene."

He chuckled and smiled down at her, "What would I do without you?"

Rapunzel smirked, "Without me, you'd still be thieving and assuming that it would eventually catch up to you, there's a pretty good chance that you'd be in prison right now."

"It was a rhetorical question, Blondie."

"I know…" She kissed him on the lips, "So about the extended stay-"

Eugene's expression filled with realization, "I knew these extra sweet kisses had something sinister behind them…and the answer's no, Rapunzel."

"But Eugene-"

"Your health comes first…the doctor didn't even think it was a good idea to let you go on this trip in the first place. So we're going to go there, do our job, and then come back." He began walking towards their onboard suite, "Besides, I already made room in our itinerary to visit the special shops and sight-see the company."

"You did what?" Rapunzel ran after him and caught up to him by the open doorway, "How long did you know about this?"

Eugene smirked, "About a week."

"Eugene! I can't believe you let me flirt to get you to say yes when you knew the entire time that we were going."

Eugene leaned over her, making her back up against the wall, as his arm held him up against the doorway, "What can I say? I like seeing you try to flirt with me."

Rapunzel scoffed and crossed her arms, "_Try_? I'd say I succeeded given how eager you were to kiss me."

He leaned toward her, "What can I say?" Their lips met in a soft breathy kiss, "I like kissing you." He leaned back in for a more passionate kiss that his wife had no problem with as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.

She happily sighed when the kiss ended, "Thanks for the compliment."

Rapunzel lightly patted his cheek and walked inside the room leaving him standing in the doorway with a grin on his face, "Feel free to return the compliment."

Rapunzel laughed as she sat down on the bed, "I will when you earn it."

Eugene chuckled as he closed the door, "Challenge accepted."

* * *

Hans and Elsa were sitting in their bedroom suite, enjoying the beautiful sunset through the window as they sipped their glasses of wine. When the sun was first beginning to set, Elsa stood up and put her wineglass on the table, "Come on…"

Hans took a sip and looked up at her, "Pardon?"

Elsa giggled as she took the glass out of his hand and leaned over him, "Don't ask questions…just follow me." Elsa took Hans's hand and led him outside onto the deck of the ship, "Why waste such a beautiful sunset sitting indoors, when we could be out here experiencing the real deal?"

Elsa leaned against the railing as Hans came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "I like the way you think."

They both silently watched the sun set into the horizon and they remained silent for a few moments afterwards. Hans kissed her cheek, "I'll be right back." A few seconds passed before Hans returned with their wine glasses and a smirk on his face, "Why let this good wine go to waste? We can star gaze with class!"

Elsa laughed, "Star gaze with class?"

Hans chuckled, "I'm not only selling the wine, I'm selling the experience." He held up his glass, "To new beginnings."

Elsa smiled as she remembered the first time they made a toast together, back when they were in Sperca, "To a less complicated friendship."

After they took a sip, Hans leaned forward and gently kissed her, "I think we accomplished a less complicated friendship, don't you?"

Elsa giggled, "Well, Kendrick was right…it's only as complicated as you make it."

Hans leaned against the railing and looked up at the stars, "Yup…that was probably the only wise thing my brother ever said to me. It's still weird thinking that he's dead and his wife, my childhood best friend, is back in Arendelle with my nephew. So much has changed in a year…"

Elsa nodded as she, now, looked up at the stars, "Perhaps…but I think the good changes outweigh the bad changes by a large margin. Anna and I finally get to be with each other every day without my powers being a problem for her or anyone in Arendelle, you turned it all around and became the good man you once used to be, Anna and Kristoff both survived the plague, we met Eir and William, you reunited with Annaliese who now has a healthy baby boy, and we got married. Overall, I'd say it was a good year."

Hans looked down, "Except for the fact that I lost my brother and you temporarily lost your sister."

"And you…" Elsa's eyes met his, "I lost you for a while there too."

Hans faced her, "Do you ever think about how fortunate we are? You could have been married to Prince Benedict of Livonia right now."

Elsa looked down into her glass, "Benedict is a good man…I could have eventually learned to be happy with him."

"Learned to be happy with him?" Hans reached out and tilted her chin up, "Now what kind of marriage is that, no love just mutual friendship?"

Elsa smirked, "It's not exactly ideal, but it doesn't matter now, because you're not dead. You're alive, you're with me, and we're on our way to London for our honeymoon."

"Well, technically…" Hans stepped closer to her and moved his hand from her chin to her cheek, "Our honeymoon started when we left Arendelle."

"Oh, really?" Elsa walked back to their room, then stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder, "If that's the case, Hans, you're slacking."

Hans smirked as he walked over to her and swiftly scooped her up into his arms, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, let me make it up to you."

* * *

Anna was in her bedroom, brushing her hair after an exciting day in the castle with Kristoff, Olaf and Sven. Olaf and Anna spent a couple hours trying to teach Kristoff how to slide down the banister, then afterwards the group of four all had a picnic together in the gardens where they also cloud watched and played hide and seek for a bit. In the evening, Anna had a special dinner prepared, which turned out to be more like a chocolate feast and afterwards her and Kristoff enjoyed some one-on-one time in the library. Anna happily jumped into bed and let out a content sigh. As she was just about to fall asleep, a certain snowman threw open the door and ran inside, "Hey Anna! Look what I got!"

Anna yelped and fell out of her bed with a loud thud, "Ow!" She peeked her head over the bed and eyed the snowman, "Olaf, what did we say about barging into people's room after eleven?"

"I thought we were allowed to break the rules since Elsa isn't here."

Anna stood up and brushed herself off, "What? No, of course not…why would you think that?"

"Because that's what you did."

Anna jumped back onto the bed, "I did not!"

Olaf smirked, "I'm pretty sure Elsa wouldn't have approved of our dinner tonight."

Anna sheepishly grinned, "Okay, you got me on that one…so how about this. I broke my one rule at dinner and you're breaking your one rule right now. So for the rest of the time Elsa's gone, we won't break anymore rules."

"Okay, wait, can I hold off on my one rule break because I might want to use it later for a future situation."

Anna laughed, "Too late, you already broke a rule. So, make it count…what have you got for me?"

Olaf dramatically bowed as he held up a letter, "This just came for you."

Anna suspiciously eyed the snowman, "Olaf, how come you always seem to have our mail?"

The snowman shrugged, "I don't know…I guess it's because I'm available at all times so if something should come at an unusual hour, like right now, I can deliver it."

"Hmm…interesting thought. You know what, we're getting sidetracked…where's the letter from?"

"London."

Anna grabbed the letter, "London?! There's no way Elsa and Hans are already there!" She quickly read the envelope, "Olaf, this is addressed to Elsa."

"Well, since she's not here, you're next in line so you have the right to read it."

"That's true…" Anna opened the envelope and silently read the letter to herself then suddenly she stood up and ran out the door, "Come on, Olaf!"

Olaf scurried out of the room, "Oh! I smell an adventure!"

Anna burst into Kristoff's room, "Kristoff!"

Kristoff was in the middle of changing his shirt, "Anna! Have you ever heard of knocking?!"

Anna closed the door again and did a quick knock, and then she proceeded to throw the door open again, "Kristoff!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, "What is it, Anna?"

"I just got a letter from London and it's addressed to Elsa."

"Okay?"

Anna strode across the room and stood in front of the ice harvester, handing him the letter, "Well, look what it says…you know what I'll just tell you. The Kingdom of Great Britain has invited Elsa and Hans to a special event in London celebrating King William IV ascendance to the throne."

Kristoff was scanning over the letter, "Okay…that's not so bad."

"No, there's more…" Anna took the letter out of his hand, "While they're in London to attend the special event, the London Parliament has taken the initiative and scheduled a meeting with Elsa and Hans to discuss an alliance between Arendelle and Great Britain."

"Why would the Kingdom of Great Britain be interested with having an alliance with a significantly smaller kingdom such as Arendelle?"

Anna pretended to think, "I don't know, let me think about that…duh! Elsa and her powers! Arendelle has probably the most dangerous secret weapon of our time and it's the Queen! Why wouldn't other kingdoms try to gain an alliance with us? I'm surprised they didn't write sooner."

Kristoff scratched his head, "Okay, okay…so let's say that Elsa's powers are the main reason for this sudden alliance. What does this mean for you and me?"

Anna excitedly grinned, "It means we get to go to London!"

As Anna skipped out of the room, Kristoff ran after her, "Wait, what? No, Anna, we can't leave Arendelle-"

Anna strode across her room and opened up her luggage, "We've got to leave first thing tomorrow morning if we want to make it there on time."

Kristoff closed the luggage, "Anna!"

"What?"

"We can't leave Arendelle…you're the only one who can run this place while Elsa and Hans are gone."

Anna crossed her arms, "So what do you want to do?"

"Send the letter to Elsa and Hans in London."

Anna curtly shook her head, "No."

"No?"

Anna leaned on her luggage, "Elsa needs this vacation and if she gets this letter, you know she'll just forget the whole reason why she's there in the first place. She'll just drop whatever she's doing and go into 'queen mode' and that's not fair to her."

"Anna, it's her duty to deal with these things."

"Well, it's _my _duty now. So you can either stay here or you can come with me and do what you promised Elsa, which was to keep an eye on me."

Kristoff sighed, "When you put it that way, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Anna smiled and opened up her luggage, "No, not really."

Kristoff slowly walked to the door, "Okay, but you're responsible for waking up Kai and getting the boat arrangements figured out…Anna?

"Yes?"

"Who's going to be in charge?"

"Annaliese used to be a queen, William used to be an advisor to a king, Kai is currently Elsa's advisor…it'll be a combined effort, but they should be fine."

Kristoff tiredly shook his head, "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Kristoff, trust me, everything will be fine. Oh and one more thing…" She ran over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Put a shirt on, handsome. I'm not complaining about the view but if Elsa was here and she saw this, yeesh, well you know."

Kristoff blushed, "Sorry, I'll, uh, put on a shirt."

Anna giggled at his embarrassment as he walked back to his room. When he entered his room, he sat down on the bed and sighed, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"So what did you guys agree on?!"

"Gah!" Kristoff fell off the bed and angrily looked at the snowman that was hiding on the other side of the bed, "Olaf! What are you doing in here?"

Olaf scurried around the bed to meet Kristoff, "I came in when Anna came in and I've been waiting here since…so are you guys going to London?"

"Yes, Olaf, yes we are."

Olaf patted Kristoff's knee and then waddled out of the room, "That's good! I guess this counts as you're one rule break…"

Kristoff confusingly watch the snowman leave his room, before he muttered to himself, "My one what?"


	5. Chapter 5

******************Hi Guys! It's been a while since my last update and I apologize for that. I've had some pretty hectic days recently but everything's smoothed out again. Thank you all for waiting for this next chapter and for reviewing and following my story! This chapter is pretty long so I hope that makes up for my absence. Please enjoy the next chapter...Happy Reading! :)**

******************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 5: Trouble**

It was early afternoon when Eugene and Rapunzel's ship pulled into the London docks. The Kingdom of Great Britain wasn't that far from Corona, so they only spent a day and a half at sea. As the couple walked down the gangplank together, a man with dark blonde hair and beautiful hazel colored eyes approached them with a welcoming smile and a bow, "Welcome to London, Prince Eugene and Princess Rapunzel of Corona. My name is Thomas Sullivan and I work at the palace as a royal advisor, and currently your guide. I hope you had a safe trip?"

Rapunzel nodded with a polite smile, "Yes, the waters were quite calm."

Thomas happily clasped his hands together and led the couple into town, "Splendid! Now, I will be around the palace if you need help with anything regarding the ball on Friday or any other matters during your stay here."

Eugene inconspicuously raised an eyebrow, "Like the alliance negotiations between Corona and Great Britain?"

Thomas slightly hesitated, "…yes."

There was an awkward silence between them as they made their way through town and towards a large palace. Rapunzel admired the building, "This is a beautiful palace…very elegant and sophisticated."

Thomas grinned, "Thank you, Princess…we were hoping the Buckingham Palace would have been ready before the ball but unfortunately it's still under construction. But I'm glad the St. James's Palace suits your fancy."

Rapunzel nodded, "Oh, it does and I'm sure it's just as lovely on the inside too."

Thomas chuckled as they walked inside the palace, "You are a very gracious guest, Princess…have you ever been to London before?"

"No, but I've always dreamed about coming here. I just never had a reason to stop by until now."

Thomas nodded as he focused his attention to her husband, "What about you Prince Eugene?"

Eugene casually looked around the hallways, "I've never been to London before, but I'm always opened to traveling to new places."

"That's wonderful to hear…" Thomas stopped in front of a large ornate door, "So here is your room and your room key. Please feel free to roam around the palace or explore the town, but I must inform you that dinner is at seven…unless you wish to dine out in the town?"

Eugene and Rapunzel quickly looked at each other. Rapunzel gave her husband a hopeful smile before Eugene faced Thomas, "We would like to see everything your town has to offer so I think we'll dine out tonight."

Rapunzel worriedly looked at the advisor, "Unless you think the royal family would be offended if we didn't show up."

Thomas chuckled, "No, no, of course not. Most guests usually dine out when they stay here anyways." He opened up the door for the couple and handed Eugene the room key with a bow, "Enjoy your stay with us."

Once Thomas left, Rapunzel and Eugene stepped inside their room and took a look around at the living area. They both walked into the next room which turned out to be the bedroom and as soon as Rapunzel saw how large the bed was, she excitedly ran towards it and jumped onto the trunk at the foot of the bed and vaulted herself onto the bed, laughing as she lay on her back with her arms and legs spread out, "This is so fun! Look at this bed, Eugene! It's _huge_!" Eugene chuckled as he walked over to one side of the bed, but just as he was about sit, Rapunzel crawled over and blocked his way, "If you want to get on the bed, you have to get on the same way I did."

Eugene looked at the trunk and then back at his wife, "Seriously, Blondie?"

Rapunzel crossed her arms, "I'm dead serious…unless you're losing your touch?"

Eugene scoffed, "Me? Lose my touch? Never…" Eugene proudly walked over to the wall facing the foot of the bed, "You might want to move a little." Rapunzel scooted over as Eugene ran full force towards the trunk and vaulted himself into the air. He added a little of his "Flynn Rider" flourish as he did a quick front flip, mid air, and managed to stick the landing in the middle of the bed, "Ta-da!"

Rapunzel approvingly clapped, "That's not too shabby, Eugene…not bad at all. I guess you still have a little bit of Flynn in you after all."

Eugene sat down with a smug smile, "Only the good parts."

Rapunzel quickly stood up, "Okay, well, I don't know about you but I'm going to wash up before we head out for dinner. I don't want to go out smelling like the sea."

Eugene took an exaggerated whiff, "Oh yeah, you do smell a little fishy, Blondie. On behalf of the town, I thank you for washing up."

Rapunzel threw a pillow at him and then jumped on his back, "That's so mean! You smell just as bad so when I'm done, _you're _next…" She climbed off of him and walked into the bathroom, "But first, you have to figure out where we're eating."

Eugene smirked, "How about a pub? Like, the Snuggly Duckling?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, "Ha. Ha. No pubs, Eugene. I trust your judgment as long as you're thinking like Eugene and not like Flynn."

Eugene walked over to the window and looked out at the town, "Nah…I'll leave Flynn Rider in the storybooks. You're stuck with Eugene Fitzherbert, whether you like it or not."

Rapunzel smiled as she turned on the water, "I'll take my chances. Rider was kind of a jerk anyways…no offense."

Eugene chuckled, "Absolutely none taken."

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, Hans and Elsa were pulling up to the London docks. Before they left Arendelle, they had decided that they were not going to take the official royal ship to avoid unwanted attention. But they couldn't help but notice the large amount of ships from other kingdoms gathering in the docks, "What on earth is going on here?"

Elsa rested her hands on the ship's railing, "I knew London was a large and populous place, but I didn't think it was _this _crowded."

Hans furrowed his brow, "Maybe there's something going on this weekend that we weren't aware of."

Elsa shrugged, "Well, Arendelle has no affiliation with Great Britain so I don't see any reason for us to worry too much about it."

They observed the different ships around the docks as their ship pulled in. The couple then walked down the gangplank together and made their way into town. Hans took hold of Elsa's hand and expertly weaved them in and out of the crowds, bringing back memories of the first time they arrived in Sperca. Elsa smiled at the memory, "If we experience any exploding wagons, you've got me covered, right?"

Hans chuckled, "Only if you'll extinguish the flames when my clothes catch on fire."

Finally they made it to the edge of town and the view was beautiful as all they could see was miles and miles of green rolling pastures and a small dirt road. Elsa looked up at her husband, "So now what?"

Hans took out the letter from his brother, "It says he lives about ten minutes away from town. So I guess we walk?"

"Excuse me sir, but are you lost?"

Both Hans and Elsa turned around and looked up at a man on a horse with dark blonde hair and concerned hazel colored eyes. Hans took hold of Elsa's hand and protectively took a step in front of her, "No, we're fine. But thanks for the concern."

The man tilted his head and eyed the coupled, "Sir, can I ask what your name is?"

Hans hesitated, "Why is that any concern of yours?"

The man chuckled, "I'm sorry, let me introduce myself…" He dismounted his chocolate brown horse and stood before the couple, "The name's Thomas Sullivan, I work at the royal palace as an advisor."

Elsa stepped forward, "What's going on at the palace, Mr. Sullivan? We noticed the vast amount of ships with royal emblems stationed at the docks."

Thomas admiringly smiled at her, "Very observant, miss. Actually, this Friday the palace is holding a special event for King William IV, celebrating his ascendance to the throne."

Elsa nodded, "I see…well, that sounds like fun."

Thomas chuckled, "Not if you're a part of the staff, but if you're a guest I suppose it is rather fun…" He looked back at Hans, "If I were to mention the name Gregory Westergaard, would that ring a bell?"

Hans hesitated but his face remained complacent, "Sounds familiar, perhaps a prince from the Southern Isles?"

Thomas nodded, "Yes that is correct. You look a lot like him you know…those sideburns especially."

Hans sighed, "Yes…I get that a lot."

Thomas gave Hans a final look before he mounted his horse, "Well, I'm sorry to take up so much of your time. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Hans and Elsa silently watched him ride off before Elsa looked up at Hans, "Well that was interesting…" She furrowed her brow when she noticed Hans intently staring at the crowds of people in the main square, "Hans? Is everything okay?"

Whatever Hans was staring at must have disappeared because he looked back at his wife with a blank expression, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Elsa's blue eyes filled with concern, "Is there something wrong?"

Hans casually shook his head, "No, no…I just thought I saw a familiar face. But I was mistaken."

"You sure?"

Hans grabbed her hand and began walking down the dirt road, "Yeah…perhaps I needed this vacation more than I thought."

* * *

After a thirty minute walk, Hans and Elsa finally approached a quaint country home that was surrounded by two acres of land, including a large pond in the back enclosed by several trees. By the time they reached the door, Hans was huffing and puffing from carrying most of the luggage, "So much…for being…ten minutes…from town…"

Elsa began searching underneath rocks for the house key, "Well, maybe he meant ten minutes from town on horseback."

Hans wiped some sweat off his brow, "Well, that would have been nice to know."

Elsa smiled as she picked up the key and unlocked the door, "I could have carried some of my own luggage, but you insisted that you were fine."

Hans walked inside and dropped most of the luggage by the front door, "I was trying to be chivalrous…" He looked around the house, "Wow…this is a _very _nice place."

Elsa walked into the kitchen, "There's a note on the table…" She began to read it out loud as Hans came in behind her, "Welcome to Reinhold Estate Queen Elsa and Hansey…please feel free to make this place your home for as long as you wish to stay. Everything you see is yours to use during your time here…from the kitchen to the stables, it's all yours. P.S. Don't worry about the horses, I have people that take care of them."

Elsa handed the note to Hans with a teasing grin, "So there _are _horses."

Hans shrugged, "Well, now we know." He placed the note on the table and took Elsa's hand as they went out the back door and admired their two acres of land, "So this is what it would be like if we had a place all our own…" He looked down at her, "I like it."

Elsa smiled as she ran towards the pond, "Look at this Hans! It's absolutely beautiful!" She sat down by the water's edge and looked at her reflection in the clear water.

Hans chuckled as he came up behind her, "Care for a dip, milady?"

Elsa slowly scooted away from him, "Oh no…I don't want to get wet."

Hans mischievously grinned, "But it's so hot out here…and you look like you need to cool off."

Elsa sarcastically laughed, "I don't think I could be any colder than I already am."

Hans suddenly dove for her but she quickly rolled away from him and swiftly pushed him in with her foot. She doubled over in laughter when she saw his dumbfounded expression as he just sat in the shallow part of the pond. He shook his head like a dog and gave her a roughish grin, "Oh, it's on now."

Elsa stopped laughing and quickly stood up, backing away as Hans trudged out of the pond, "Hans, no…I told you I don't want to get wet."

Hans menacingly chuckled, "And I told _you _that you look like you needed to cool off." He began to run after her as she yelped and ran towards the house. Just as Elsa was about to grab the doorknob, Hans wrapped his arms around her waist, "Gotcha! Now, I think the Queen of Arendelle needs to learn some manners."

Hans walked back to the water as Elsa tried to squirm her way out of his grasp, "Hans! Stop! I swear if you throw me in, you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

Hans chuckled, "That's a very convincing threat except for one thing…"

"What's that?"

Hans stopped at the edge of the water with a naughty smirk, "I don't believe you."

As Hans jumped into the water, Elsa mistakenly shrieked, "No!" When she hit the water, she inhaled a lot of water and consequently came up coughing and gasping for air, "Hans…I'm…going…to…kill…you!"

Hans wrapped his arms around her, "Can you swim?"

Elsa pushed him away, "Of course I can swim!"

Hans laughed at her fuming expression, "Wow, I was teasing about you needing to cool off before, but _now _you really need to-"

Before he could finish, Elsa dunked his head underwater and began to slowly make her way out of the water. Just as she was at the water's edge, Hans came up coughing and gasping, "Elsa…wait!" Elsa stood in the shallow end and crossed her arms, waiting for him to trudge up to her. He stood directly in front of her and looked straight into her eyes, "You look so beautiful right now. Let me just stare at you for awhile…"

Elsa scoffed, "I hardly think I look that pretty…I'm all wet and my hair's a mess-"

"No, not at all…" He cupped her face with one hand and rubbed his thumb across her cheek, "I find you most beautiful not when you're all fancied up, but when you're not. When you're soaking wet, you're hair all a mess, yelling at the stupid things I do. When you're not trying to impress anyone and taken down that wall you've built for most people. That's when I can't my eyes off of you." He slowly leaned down and softly kissed his wife with such tenderness that Elsa's anger quickly melted away.

When he slightly pulled away, Elsa's eyes flickered back and forth between his eyes and his lips, "Don't stop…" Hans smiled as he leaned in again, but this time with more force and passion as he snaked one arm around her waist and his other hand on the back of her neck. When they finally ended their kiss, Elsa wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at his handsome face, "We should probably get cleaned up before we head back into town for dinner."

Hans feigned surprise, "You mean this doesn't count as a bath?"

Elsa laughed, "Let's go inside…" She yelped when her husband scooped her up into his arms and began walking back to the house, "Hans, you don't have to carry me…I know your arms are exhausted."

He sincerely looked down at her, "Elsa, I can carry you to the ends of the earth without feeling even the slightest bit of fatigue."

Elsa leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "My hero."

* * *

It was late morning by the time Arendelle's princess emerged from the royal on-board suite. Anna took in a deep breath of sea air and smiled around to all the sailors that bid her good morning. Her smile grew when she saw a familiar face emerge from below deck, "Good morning, Kristoff. How did you sleep?"

Kristoff lifted his muscular arms above his head and stretched from side to side, "Surprisingly well, actually. I know that sailors' sleeping quarters get a bad reputation but it's really not that bad. Of course that's coming from a guy who can easily sleep on a pile of hay in the stables."

Anna walked over to the side of the ship, "Remind me why you have a room in the castle, then?"

Kristoff chuckled, "Your sister insists that it would be improper to have a guest staying at the castle without actually staying _in _the castle."

Anna leaned against the railing, "Well, I'd have to agree with her on that one. I mean, despite you thinking otherwise, you're a human, not a reindeer."

The Captain walked up to the princess and respectfully bowed, "Your Highness, we're approaching the London docks, if you'd like to get your things ready."

Anna's eyes grew wide, "We're here?!" She frantically looked back and forth along the horizon with nothing in sight except more water, "Where's London?"

The Captain quietly chuckled, "…Behind you."

Anna turned around and realized that she was facing the wrong direction, "Oh! Kristoff, take a look at that!" She ran over to the other side of the ship, with Kristoff in tow, "Isn't it marvelous?"

Kristoff nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "It's sure…crowded." Anna happily sighed and Kristoff smirked when he saw that certain glisten in her eyes, "You're not going to sing again, are you? You already did that when we first left Arendelle."

Anna took a deep breath and gave him a cheeky smile, "For the first-"

"I'm going to go get my things ready while you get this out of your system." Kristoff headed towards the stairs as he listened to his princess sing behind him, making him chuckle and shake his head.

In less than an hour, Kristoff and Anna were met at the docks by the palace advisor, "Welcome to London, Queen Elsa and…" He raised a questionable eyebrow at the ice harvester, "King Hans?"

Anna giggled, "No, no, I'm not Elsa…I'm her sister, Anna, er, Princess Anna." She awkwardly curtsied and then put a hand on the ice harvester's arm, "And this is Kristoff, he's my…bodyguard!" Kristoff gave her a weird look but remained quiet.

The man bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you Princess Anna and Sir Kristoff. My name is Thomas Sullivan, and I work at the palace as a royal advisor. Will the Queen of Arendelle be joining us this weekend?"

Anna shook her head as they made their way into town, "No, I'm afraid that Queen Elsa and King Hans had previous arrangements that they are attending to as we speak. In fact, they were already gone by the time I received your letter."

Thomas slightly frowned, "That's such a shame…King William IV was curious to meet the infamous Snow Queen."

Anna's eyes widened, "Snow Queen? Y-you know about her powers?"

Thomas enthusiastically nodded, "Why, of course, Your Highness! Queen Elsa has made headlines around the world with her magical powers and freezing her own kingdom. Then there's her husband, the new King of Arendelle, who tried to kill-"

"I'm aware of Hans's past…more than what I'm sure you're reading about in your gossip rags."

Thomas carefully eyed Anna, "I'm sorry, Princess…I didn't mean to hit a soft spot."

Kristoff scoffed, "You're talking about her sister and her brother-in-law, I don't know any softer spot than that."

Anna gently placed a hand on Kristoff's arm, "Enough, Kristoff."

"Princess Anna, I'm sure you see that I meant no harm, I was just curious as to the change in the Snow Queen's heart…to actually forgive that man, who, if I'm not mistaken, was your ex-fiancé that left you to die-"

"I said that's enough!" The both Kristoff and Thomas looked at Anna in surprise as she cleared her throat and continued to speak in a dignified tone, "I don't know who you think you are, but I've never been so poorly welcomed to _any _place in my _entire _life. Now, I'm going to give you a second chance at making a first impression because I'm just that kind of a person."

Thomas gave her an apologetic smile, "Welcome to London, Princess Anna and Sir Kristoff!"

After a few more minutes of civilized chatter, Thomas opened up a door, "Here is your guestroom, Princess Anna and Sir Kristoff. Please feel free to ask me if you need anything."

Anna nervously bit her lip, "Kristoff and I are sharing a room?

"Yes, I assumed since he was your bodyguard you would prefer him to stay near you at all times. That's what most guests prefer…but if you want-"

"No, no…I don't want to cause any extra fuss. I'm sure this will be just fine."

Thomas nodded, "Lunch is at one and dinner is at seven, unless you wish to eat in town which is what most guests do."

Anna and Kristoff both stepped into the room. Kristoff began to search the room, as Anna stayed with the advisor, "Then we'll eat in town…thank you Thomas." With a quick bow, Thomas disappeared down the hallway.

Kristoff cautiously watched Anna as she closed the door, "So, that went well…"

"That was awful!" Anna slumped down into the nearest sofa, "I completely lost it! Maybe I should go apologize for my behavior-"

"Anna, are you serious? That man was a jerk…you shouldn't have to apologize for standing up for yourself and your family."

Anna rested her face in her hands, "Yeah, but I felt like I could've been nicer…"

Kristoff sat down beside her, "No, you acted like a true ruler…Elsa would've been very proud at how you responded. I know I was…"

Anna looked up at him, "Really? "

Kristoff smiled as he wrapped an arm around her, "Oh yeah, in fact, I found that new side of you kind of endearing. Confidence in a woman is very appealing to a guy…you did great, Anna, don't over think it, okay?"

Anna leaned her head against his chest, "Okay. At least we avoided running into Elsa and Hans."

Kristoff chuckled, "At _least_."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Reinhold Estate, Elsa sleepily rolled over in bed and smiled when she opened her eyes to the beautiful view of the London countryside outside her window. She took in a deep breath but instead of the fresh country air, she smelled something that made her stomach growl. _What is that amazing smell? _She sat up and took another whiff. _Nope definitely not chocolate…eggs? Bacon? Toast? _She looked around the room and realized that she was alone. _No way…there's absolutely no way. _She threw off the covers and grabbed her robe as she hurried down the stairs, following her nose to the kitchen. Elsa gasped when she entered the kitchen to find her husband setting out two plates of freshly made eggs, bacon, and toast, "Hans?"

He wiped his hands on the semi dirty apron tied around his waist and smiled at his wife's surprised expression, "Oh, good morning, er, afternoon, Elsa. How'd you sleep?"

Elsa slowly entered the kitchen, keeping her eyes glued to the delicious arrangement set out on the table, "Well…very well." She looked at Hans, "Did you do all this?"

Hans smirked, "I'm the only other person here."

Elsa looked back at the food, "I didn't know you could cook."

Hans turned back to the counter and finished juicing the oranges, "There's still a lot you don't know about me." He walked over to the table and placed two glasses of orange juice down before he pulled out a chair for his wife, "Happy three month anniversary!"

Elsa's eyes widened as she sat down and received a kiss on the cheek from her husband, "You remembered?"

Hans chuckled as he took his seat across from her, "And obviously you didn't."

Elsa blushed, "I-I didn't mean to…it kind of just slipped my mind."

Hans gave her a warm smile, "Don't worry about it. You've had a lot going on this past week, I understand."

"Thanks." Elsa smiled as she and Hans both dug into their meals. Silence filled the air as the couple indulged in their delicious food.

After everything was practically gone, Hans grinned, "So, I take it that you liked everything?"

Elsa exuberantly nodded, "Oh my goodness, everything was amazing. Even the orange juice tasted marvelous. When did you learn how to cook?"

Hans ran his finger around the edge of his glass, "I told you that my brothers treated me poorly because I was especially close to my mother. Well, cooking was one of the things I picked up from her. She loved being in the kitchen and occasionally cooked with the chefs at the castle for the fun of it."

Elsa smiled as she reached out to hold his hand, "Well, she did a good job teaching you." She realized that his thoughts were elsewhere as he just continued to run his finger around the glass, "Hans, what's wrong?"

He looked up at her with a tired smile, "Nothing, everything's fine."

Realization hit Elsa as she squeezed his hand, "You didn't make all this food as an anniversary breakfast…you did this because you couldn't sleep and needed something to occupy your time."

Hans sheepishly smiled, "You're right. I couldn't sleep…"

Elsa stood up and took his hand, leading him to the sofa in the living room, "More nightmares? I thought we figured out how to stop them."

Hans tiredly sat down and shook his head, "They're not about you anymore…they're about my mother."

Elsa crossed her legs, "Your mother?"

Hans nodded but remained quiet as he thought to himself. Finally, he furrowed his brow but kept his focus on the floor, "Do you think it was strange how sudden my mother's death was?"

Elsa brought her knees up to her chest, "I suppose now that you mentioned it, it was sort of abrupt and unexpected. Why, do you suspect foul play?"

"I don't know…I never thought about it until now. It just doesn't seem to add up, she was so healthy and young…I find it highly unlikely that she died of natural causes."

Elsa cautiously looked over at him, "You don't think you father had anything to do with it, do you?"

Hans scoffed, "To be honest, I wouldn't put it past him."

"But what would he gain from killing his wife?"

"_Your mother was a smart woman, Hans, she saw greatness in you before anyone else even gave you a chance. On the other hand, without me you'd still be getting beaten up by your brothers. I taught you to stand up and defend yourself, your relationship with your mother made you weak."_

"_So what are you saying?"_

"_I'm just saying that perhaps your mother's death was a blessing in disguise."_

Hans abruptly stood up with a renewed sense of anger, "That monster!"

"Hans?!"

"He's the one who killed her!"

Elsa stayed on the couch, hugging her knees, "Your father? But why?"

"So he could mold me into one of his evil minions, like the rest of my brothers. When my mother was around, she kept me on the straight and narrow but with her out of the picture…"

Elsa slowly stood up, "Your father was able to turn you into whatever he wanted."

"Exactly." Hans hurried out of the room and jogged up the stairs, towards the bedroom.

Elsa quickly followed him and stood in the doorway as she watched him take out a suitcase, "Hans, what are you doing?"

Hans began packing his clothes, "I need to go to the Southern Isles."

"To do what? Confront your father? What's that going to do?"

Hans nonchalantly shrugged as he continued packing, "I need to make things right."

"How?" Elsa closed his suitcase and promptly sat on top of it, "Hans, there's nothing you can do…your father, the King, is not going to get arrested in his own kingdom because you _claim_ that he killed his wife several years ago. You have no proof! And let's say you're right and he did kill your mother, what's stopping him from killing you too? He won't want you spreading the word around that he's a murderer."

Hans ran his hands through his hair as he began pacing around the room, "I can't let him get away with this."

"Hans, he's already gotten away with it for sixteen years…what are you going to gain by going back there? It's not going to bring her back."

"It's not fair, why should he get away with it? He's a murderer, he deserves to suffer for his crimes."

"Hans, it happened a long time ago…you have just let it go and show him some mercy."

"He doesn't deserve that."

"Neither did you, but you got it anyways."

Hans stopped pacing and looked at her blankly, "Pardon?"

"I had every intention to let you hang a year ago, but Anna persuaded me to show you some mercy. You didn't deserve it, but you got it."

"And I appreciate it…" Hans walked over to her, "But he killed my mother, Elsa, the only person that I loved when I was young and he took her away from me! You just don't understand-"

"I don't understand?! Are you serious?!" Elsa jumped off his suitcase and glared daggers at him, clenching her hands into tight fists, "My parents were taken away from me just as sudden as your mother was from you. Never got to say goodbye, never got to tell them how much I loved them, how much I needed them, and how sorry I was for being a terrible daughter. I never got to hug them before they left like Anna did, I hadn't even touched them since I was eight! So don't you _dare _say that I don't understand!"

Hans noticed the walls were beginning to freeze over, "…I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't mean to, I-I wasn't thinking-"

"You bet you weren't thinking." Elsa grabbed a dress and headed into the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came out in a simple lavender dress with a dark purple bodice, her hair was braided in a half up-half down style, and she held her lavender bonnet in her hand as she made her way downstairs.

Hans rushed after her, "Where are you going?"

"Into town…" She walked out into the warm afternoon sun and headed into the stables, "I saw a café last night that served espresso and I wanted to try it."

Hans waited outside the closed stable doors, "Should I even ask if I'm invited?"

There were a few shuffling sounds coming from inside but no reply from Elsa. Suddenly, Hans picked up the rapid sound of hooves and quickly jumped into the nearby bushes as Elsa burst through the stable doors and galloped down the small dirt road. Hans tiredly rubbed his face and muttered to himself, "Happy Anniversary."

* * *

Rapunzel and Eugene quietly made their way down the hallway as they pondered about the meeting that just took place with the British Parliament. Rapunzel had wanted to ensure the alliance with Great Britain no matter what, so that she could please her parents but Eugene was pickier about the terms of the alliance. The British Parliament had wanted the Kingdom of Corona to renounce all of their partners in trade in order to declare their loyalty to Great Britain and to only accept trade through Great Britain. Also, the Parliament had wanted the King and Queen of Corona to denounce their personal constitution for Corona and adapt the laws and constitutions of Great Britain. Eugene immediately put his foot down and declined the terms, which ended the meeting temporarily, until another set of terms could be decided upon.

Rapunzel clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at her husband, "Soooo…"

Eugene smirked, "So?"

"That didn't last as long as I thought it would."

"It's not over yet, it's just been temporarily delayed."

Another minute of silence past before Rapunzel stopped Eugene and looked him in the eye, "Those terms were ridiculous, right? We're not just being overly picky about things."

Eugene sternly shook his head, "No, absolutely not. If we had agreed to those terms, Corona would have basically become a British colony instead of being an alliance partner."

Rapunzel pursed her lips, "Okay, that's what I thought."

They began walking again, when Eugene's stomach growled, "Are you hungry?"

Rapunzel laughed, "Since being pregnant, I'm always hungry. Can we go back to that little café we ate at last night? Le Jardin, was it?"

"Sure, they had-"

They heard a high pitched squeal coming from behind them, "Rapunzel?!" Rapunzel and Eugene quickly turned around to see an exuberant redhead running towards them, "Rapunzel! Eugene! You guys are here!"

Rapunzel squealed, "Anna! What on earth are you doing here?"

Anna bear hugged the couple, "I'm here for the ball on Friday."

Kristoff came up behind her, "And for some meeting with the British Parliament."

Eugene and Rapunzel gave each other a concerned look, before Rapunzel linked arms with her cousin, "Anna, would you and Kristoff like to join Eugene and I for some lunch?"

Anna was all smiles, "Sure! Where to?"

"A quaint little café in the center of town…it has delicious food and very good drinks."

"Oh, I don't drink…Elsa says I'm not old enough yet."

Rapunzel giggled, "It's okay…I'm not drinking anytime soon either."

As the guys watched the two girls stroll down the hallway, Eugene gave Kristoff a concerned look, "Kristoff, you're going to be with Anna during the meeting right?"

"I think so…I'm supposedly her bodyguard."

Eugene looked him up and down with a smirk, "Well, you certainly look the part. Anyways, we need you to keep a close sharp eye on these Parliament members, they could be pretty sneaky and persuasive, especially to a naive princess who's not used to dealing with things like this."

Kristoff gave him a concerned look before nodding, "Okay, thanks for the heads up, Eugene."

Eugene gave him a quick pat on the shoulder, "Of course! Now, let's go treat our ladies to some fine food and drink."

The group of four arrived at the high end café in the middle of London and was escorted inside to a large table in a private corner of the dining room. Before they could even get comfortable, a middle aged woman with red hair pulled back into a tight bun and bright kind green eyes approached the table, "Welcome back Eugene and Rapunzel. Who did you bring with you today?"

Rapunzel smiled, "This is my cousin, Anna, and her friend, Kristoff."

The woman gave Anna a playful wink, "Special friend?"

Kristoff's face turned a dark shade of red as Anna giggled, "_Very _special friend."

The woman laughed as she handed everyone a menu, "Don't worry, Kristoff, I'll try not to embarrass you anymore. My name is Hannah and I'll be your waitress for today. Can I get you started with any drinks? Espresso, wine, water, tea?"

Anna's curiosity peaked, "Espresso? What's that?"

Hannah raised her eyebrows, "Espresso is strong black coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans, but it's generally thicker than coffee and is topped with foam that has a creamy consistency to it, also called _crema_…it's an Italian coffee."

Anna blinked several times, "Does it come in chocolate flavor?"

Hannah nodded, "We can definitely make it with chocolate if you'd prefer-"

"Yes!" Anna slightly blushed, "I mean, yes please."

Hannah laughed, "Anything for the rest of you?"

Eugene leaned back in his seat, "I'll take what I had yesterday, Hannah, thanks."

Rapunzel smiled, "I'll take water again, thank you."

Kristoff nodded towards Rapunzel's direction, "I'll also take water…thanks."

Hannah wrote everything in her notepad, "Alright. I should be back in a few minutes."

After she walked away, Kristoff curiously looked over at Rapunzel and Eugene, "You didn't tell the waitress that you're royalty?"

Eugene placed an arm around Rapunzel's chair, "We decided that we wanted to keep as low of a profile as possible while we're in town. We don't mind being referred to without our titles."

Rapunzel looked back and forth between Anna and Kristoff, "So, how did you coerce Elsa to let you two come here by yourselves to attend a royal ball and a meeting with the British Parliament? Or is she coming later?"

Kristoff crossed his arms and looked over at Anna, waiting for her to explain the situation. Anna bit his lip, "Well, actually, Elsa doesn't know that we're here."

Rapunzel furrowed her brow, "Am I missing something? I would think that Elsa would have figured out by now that you're gone."

Anna avoiding making eye contact, "She's not in Arendelle at the moment, neither is Hans. I received the invitation to come here only a few days ago, but they were already gone."

"I know it's none of our business, but where did they go?"

Anna lowered her eyes, "…London."

Eugene's eyebrows shot up, "They're here?"

Rapunzel rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward, "That's a pretty big risk to take, Anna…I know that London is big, but it's not _that_ big."

Eugene leaned back in his chair, "So if they're here, why not let them deal with what's going on?"

Anna hesitated, "...Because they're on their honeymoon and I didn't want to ruin it for them."

They paused their conversation when Hannah returned with a tray over her shoulder, "Okay, I have two waters, one house special, and one chocolate espresso."

When Hannah placed the espresso in front of Anna, Kristoff could practically see her pupils dilate, "Anna, remember to breath."

Anna blinked several times before quickly taking a sip, "Oh! It's hot!"

Hannah giggled, "Sorry sweetie, I thought you knew that. Can I get some food for you?

Anna curiously raised an eyebrow, "You got sandwiches?"

* * *

Elsa sighed as she sat alone at a café in the outdoor seating area, playing with her wedding ring around her finger. She felt bad about leaving Hans back at the estate, and she knew that running away from her problems was the last thing she should have done. _After I get something here, I'll go straight to the estate and apologize for my behavior. It's not like he meant what he said, it was just a slip of the tongue _Elsa leaned back in her chair and began playing with the ends of her hair. _I just hope he'll still be there…I wouldn't blame him if he took off to the Southern Isles and tried to serve his father the justice that he deserves. I can't believe he killed his own wife, just to gain control of Hans._

A young woman with dark brown hair, and chocolate colored eyes approached the table, "Bonjour mademoiselle, welcome to Le Jardin, I am Juliette. May I get you somezing to drink?"

Elsa easily picked up the waitress's thick French accent, "Parlez-vous français?"

Juliette was very pleased at Elsa's comment, "Oui! You speak good, mademoiselle. Where are you from?"

Elsa nonchalantly shrugged, "A small kingdom north of here, but I taught myself the language when I was young."

"Je suis impressionné …I am impressed, mademoiselle."

Elsa held up her left hand, exposing her wedding ring, "Pas mademoiselle…madame. I'm married."

Juliette apologetically covered her mouth, "Pardonnez-moi, my mistake. Would you like somezing to drink? Water, wine, tea, espresso?

"I'll have an espresso please."

"Bien, which flavor?"

Elsa slightly blushed, "This may sound silly but…do you have a chocolate espresso?"

Juliette smirked, "We can make it, oui. Is zat what you like?"

Elsa sheepishly grinned, "Yes, please."

"Bien." Juliette nodded and walked towards the kitchen, where she ran into her close friend and co-worker, "Hannah, you will not believe what my customer ordered."

Hannah was balancing four plates of sandwiches over her shoulder, "Chocolate espresso?"

Juliette raised her eyebrows, "Oui! How did you know?"

Hannah laughed, "One of my customers ordered that just a few minutes ago, very sweet girl."

"Do you zink zey know each ozer?"

Hannah shifted the weight to her other arm, "Was your customer a strawberry blonde?"

"No, very, very blonde, almost white but also very young."

Hannah shrugged and began walking into the dining room, "Perhaps it's just a coincidence."

Juliette picked up the chocolate espresso that was waiting for her and muttered, "I do not believe in such zings."

Hannah walked over and handed out the sandwiches to her favorite table, "Okay, Anna, I hope this will suffice for your sandwich craving. It's the best we've got."

Anna excitedly eyed her food, "This looks _amazing_! Thanks, Hannah!"

Hannah laughed, "You won't believe what I just heard. Some other young lady just ordered a chocolate espresso, isn't that a coincidence? We've never made that until today and two separate customers ordered the same thing."

Anna's eyes grew wide as she frantically scanned the room, "Was she by any chance blonde? Like super duper whitish blonde?"

Hannah nodded her head, "Yes, do you know her?"

Anna quickly stood up, "I've got to get out of here…I'll see you guys later." She hurried past Hannah and the other wait staff as she made her way to the door. Once outside, she figured that the best way back to the palace was the direct route, mostly because that was the only way she knew how to get back. She hurried through the busy streets of London and tried her best to blend in and not get lost.

* * *

"One chocolate espresso, for you, Madame. "

Elsa politely smiled, "Merci, Juliette."

Juliette looked around and lowered her voice, "Do you know a strawberry blonde young lady who also has a deep love for chocolate?

Elsa stopped mid-sip of her espresso as she saw the glimpse of a familiar redhead hurrying through the crowd. She abruptly stood and placed her money on the table, "That strawberry blonde is my sister…thanks, Juliette!" Elsa rushed head-on into the crowds of people that were making their way through town, following the brief sightings of the Arendelle princess. Finally, when she was close enough to her sister, she cupped her hands around her mouth, "Anna!"

* * *

Anna's heart was beating at a million miles per minute, or at least that's what it felt like when she heard a familiar voice behind her, "Anna!"

Anna stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned around to face a stunned looking Elsa, "Hey, sis…what a coincidence running into you here! Did you enjoy your chocolate espresso? I thought it was rather delicious, but I don't think that all that caffeine-"

"Anna…" Elsa clenched her fists and slowly walked towards her, "What are you doing here?"

Anna remembered what Kristoff had said about confidence in a woman, so she rolled back her shoulders and took in a deep breath, "What I think is right."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello Everyone! Here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! I'm so excited for Chapter 7 because some big events are headed your way! Hopefully I can get it out to you before the week is up...fingers crossed! Please keep reviewing, I love to read what you guys think about the story. Happy Reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 6: Pre-Ball**

Elsa stood in front of her sister with a bewildered look on her face, "What you think is right? What's that supposed to mean?"

Anna clasped her hands in front of her, "The night after you and Hans left, I received a letter from London that invited us to a ball on Friday."

"Us? Who's 'us'? You and me?"

Anna began to wring her hands, "Well, technically you and Hans were invited, but since you were gone I figured that I could handle representing Arendelle at the ball."

Elsa crossed her arms, "Okay, I understand that, but why is British royalty interested in us attending their ball?"

Anna hesitated, "…Because they want to establish an alliance with us."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up, "An alliance? But why?"

"I don't know…I have a meeting with the British Parliament Sunday afternoon-"

"No, you don't…" Elsa let out a long sigh, "_I_ have a meeting Sunday afternoon."

Anna's dignified persona was fading quickly, "See?! Elsa, this is why I didn't want to tell you about this. I knew you were just going to go into 'queen mode' and forget that you're not only on a vacation, you're on your honeymoon. Speaking of which, where is Hans?"

Elsa hesitated, "…Back at the estate…"

Anna's eyes widened, "Are you mad at him? Are you two fighting?"

"No…" Elsa looked around and led her sister out of the direct flow of foot traffic, "Anna, who's in charge of Arendelle?"

"Annaliese, William, and Kai…it's kind of a team effort but they'll be fine."

Elsa furrowed her brow, "Then where's Kristoff?"

Anna looked over her sister's shoulder with a guilty expression, "Running up behind you…"

Kristoff's face was a mixture of bewilderment and guilt, "Queen Elsa, I-"

Elsa turned around and gave him a stern look, "I gave you specific instructions to keep my sister safe-"

"That's why he's here!" Anna held onto Elsa's arm, "I made him come so he can keep an eye on me. I gave him no choice so please don't be mad at him."

Elsa pulled her arm away from her sister, "I'm not mad at him, I'm mad at _you_. I trusted you to stay in Arendelle to watch over our kingdom and our people, but you deliberately disobeyed me."

"Elsa, I-"

"I want you to give me the letter and the invitations to the ball. Afterwards, you are leaving to go back to Arendelle as soon as possible."

"Elsa, please-"

"Now, Anna."

Anna sadly nodded as she made her way to the palace, with Kristoff and Elsa in tow. When they were getting close to the palace gates, Elsa stayed a good distance away to avoid being seen and waited for Anna to return with the papers. Kristoff was anxiously waiting beside the livid queen, "Queen Elsa, I'm very sorry that we abused your trust, but please don't be too hard on Anna. She really thought she was doing what was best for you and Hans."

Elsa kept her arms crossed and sternly looked up at him, "Which is why I put _you_ in charge of keeping her level headed and keeping her inArendelle."

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, "You know, Anna…once she makes up her mind, it's just easier to follow along and keep a close eye on her while on the road."

"I know it's _easier_ but someday you're going to have to grow a backbone and say no to her. Otherwise, she'll walk all over you and drag you off a two hundred foot cliff…oh, that's right she already did that, didn't she?" Kristoff shamefully hung his head and kept his mouth closed. After a few seconds passed, Elsa began tapping her foot, "You haven't proposed to her yet…why?"

"I was planning on doing it near her birthday, but since you and Hans were getting married that same month, I felt it wouldn't be as special because that was your moment in the spotlight…I didn't want to take it away from you."

"That's very kind of you, but that was also three months ago…"

"Well, we also kind of hit a rough patch during that time and I didn't want it to seem like I was proposing to her because I knew that's what she wanted from me. And then Annaliese's baby came along and our relationship was put on hold."

Elsa was quiet for a minute before letting out a long sigh, "I don't think you should propose to Anna."

"What?!"

Elsa raised a hand to quiet him down, "At least not until you learn to stand your ground around her. If things keep on going the way they are now, you're going to have a one-sided marriage and I just _know _that when something goes wrong between you two, I'm going to be on damage control."

Kristoff could feel desperation coming over him, "With all due respect, Elsa, we figured out our last big quarrel by ourselves."

Elsa firmly shook her head, "That's not what I heard…you and Anna may not have come to me for help but you did go to Hans on our wedding day. I understand that it's good to go to others for help, but I also don't think it's a good thing to always seek help for _every _relationship road bump. You two are going to have to learn how to work some things out by yourselves." Her face softened as she uncrossed her arms, "I'm sorry Kristoff, but it's not just you…Anna also needs to learn how to work with another person in a serious relationship. I just don't think she's ready…"

They ended their conversation when Anna walked up to them with a solemn expression, "Here's the letter and inside are the two invitations to the ball…I hope you and Hans have fun."

Elsa felt bad because she could tell how badly her sister had looked forward to going to the ball. And if it weren't for her being married to Hans, she probably would have let Anna tag along with her. But unfortunately, she was a married monarch and it would be unheard of if she attended a royal ball without her husband. _Unless, of course, he left to go to the Southern Isles already…in that case, I'll need to keep Anna around for at least another day._ "Anna…I know you meant well, but I don't think this was the right way to handle this situation. With that being said, I will allow you and Kristoff to stay here for another day but I want both of you gone before the ball on Friday. I don't need the British Parliament and royal family to think we don't know what we're doing."

Anna seemed to brighten up at the one-day extension and gave her sister a grateful smile, "Thanks, Elsa…I'm really sorry for messing everything up."

Elsa wrapped her arms around her sister, "Anna, you didn't mess _everything_ up…besides, I don't think there is any problematic situation that couldn't be fixed with a warm hug. Don't you agree?"

Anna let a short giggled escape through her lips as she hugged her back, "I love warm hugs."

* * *

Hans was sitting alone on a rock by the pond, reflecting upon the afternoon's events. He rested his chin in his hand and let out a long sigh. _What have I done…I'm such a fool, I can't believe I told her that she doesn't understand. She's experienced just as much loss as I have, if not more. I don't know what to do and I want, no, need her to be here with me. _Hans looked back at the house and briefly thought about the packed suitcase that was sitting in the bedroom, waiting for him to make a decision on whether or not to go to the Southern Isles.

"_Boy, I need to have a word with you."_

"_Yes, Father…what is it?"_

"_Last night, your Mother suddenly came down with a serious illness."_

"_Is she okay?"_

"_She…she's dead."_

"_What?!"_

"_She died in her sleep early this morning."_

"_How?!"_

"_Although it's none of your business, we suspect she was poisoned."_

"_You're going to catch the bad guy, right?"_

"…_I will do what I can."_

Has stood up and began walking towards the house. _I can't let my father get away with this…he deliberately lied to my face. He's a murderer and I'm not going to just let this go away. _He walked into the bedroom and placed a hand on his suitcase, but the glisten of his wedding band caught his eye. _But I can't leave Elsa…it's our honeymoon and our three month anniversary…I would never dare try anything that could hurt her. _Hans sighed and sat down on the bed. _It comes down to who I care about more, which is obviously…_

He looked out the window just as he saw his wife ride in, "Elsa!" He hurried outside just as she emerged from the stables, "Elsa, I'm so sorry-"

Elsa smiled as she embraced him, "No, don't be. You were upset and I should have just let you vent without me commenting." She slightly pulled away so that she could look at him but stayed close enough that his arms were still around her, "If you want to go to the Southern Isles, then I don't want to be the one stopping you. I know how much your mother meant to you and if this will ease your pain then who am I to say no."

"Elsa, this trip is about you and me, not my mother and definitely not my father…just us. And I'd be a fool to leave you for some scumbag like my father. You're the one and only person in my life right now and I want to keep it that way for the next week or so." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, "I will always be here and I will never leave you."

Elsa bit her lip, "So how do you feel about attending a ball?"

Hans raised his eyebrows, "A ball?"

Elsa nonchalantly shrugged as she walked into the house, "Yeah, it's nothing much just a royal ball being held at the palace this Friday."

"You mean the event that the palace advisor told us about yesterday?"

"That would be the one."

Hans chuckled in disbelief, "You're joking right? How did we get invited to this royal ball?"

"Anna was kind enough to drop off the invitations for us."

Hans eyes widened, "Anna's here?!"

"Yes, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't caught off guard by her visitation. Nonetheless, are you free Friday evening?"

Hans reached for her hand and kissed the top of it, "For you, of course."

Elsa smiled as she walked into the living room, "And Sunday afternoon?"

Hans closely followed behind, "Sunday afternoon? What are we doing Sunday afternoon?"

Elsa sat down on the sofa and smoothed her dress, "The British Parliament was kind enough to schedule a meeting with us regarding an alliance between Great Britain and Arendelle."

Hans scoffed as he sat beside her, "How generous of them to give us work on our honeymoon."

"It could be worse…at least we still have next week free to do what we want."

"Yeah…" He leaned back and sighed, "I didn't bring anything formal did you?"

"No, I'm going to borrow something from Anna. Perhaps you could borrow something from Kristoff? He must have _something _formal since he was planning to attend the ball with Anna."

Hans laughed in disbelief, "Kristoff? Elsa, that man is much bigger than I am."

"We'll figure something out…I'm planning on meeting her tomorrow morning at a café so we can discuss the wardrobe situation and I suggest you come with me."

"…Fine."

* * *

By nine o'clock the next morning, Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, and Hans were all gathered around a table in Le Jardin. And as if on cue, a waitress appeared right as they sat down, "Bonjour everyone, welcome to Le Jardin, I am Juliette."

Elsa smiled upon seeing her French friend again, "Bonjour Juliette, how are you?"

Juliette's face lit up, "Ah, yes, I remember you, madame! I'm afraid I do not recall getting your name yesterday."

"I'm Elsa…" She nodded towards the others around the table, "And this is my sister Anna, her friend Kristoff, and my husband Hans."

Juliette politely acknowledged everyone, "May I get you somezing to drink?"

Elsa sheepishly grinned, "Could I have another chocolate espresso, please? I never got to enjoy the one you made me yesterday."

Juliette giggled, "Bien sûr! Of course! And you mademoiselle?"

Anna grinned, "A chocolate espresso for me too, please!"

"Ah, yes, I remember Hannah talking about you yesterday."

Anna giggled as she scanned the dining room, "Speaking of which, where is she? I wanted her to meet my sister."

"She has taken ze morning off today. She asked me last night if I could cover her shift, so I assume somezing came up wiz her ozer job, but I don't mind covering for a good friend."

Anna furrowed her brow, "Her other job?"

"Oui, most of us work two jobs but her second job can sometimes be a bit demanding."

"What does she do?"

Juliette lowered her voice, "It is not my place to say, it is quite private, mademoiselle."

Anna blushed, "Oh…sorry."

Juliette laughed, "Do not apologize, it is fine. Drinks for you, gentlemen?"

Hans charmingly smiled, "I'll take a coffee with two shots of espresso and light on the crème, please."

Kristoff was slightly confused by Hans's drink request before he realized that Juliette was waiting for him, "Oh, I-I'll take a water…thanks."

Juliette laughed lightly, "Bien, I will be back wiz your drinks very soon."

Elsa and Anna started to giggle at Kristoff's blushing expression. Anna gently put her hand on his arm, "Kristoff, are you alright?"

He tried to seem as nonchalant as possible, "Oh sure…just out of curiosity, Hans, what on earth did you just order?"

Hans chuckled as he leaned back in his seat, "It's something I used to drink quite often while living in the Southern Isles. Annaliese used to make it for me almost every morning before she married Kendrick…it's delicious."

Elsa smiled as she held his hand, "I might have to try some then."

Hans raised an eyebrow, "I'll share it with you if I get some of that chocolate espresso."

"Deal." She focused her attention to the ice harvester, "So Kristoff, Hans and I were discussing the wardrobe situation and we were wondering if perhaps Hans could borrow something from you."

Kristoff smirked, "From me? Sure, if you can make it fit."

Anna furrowed her brow, "For goodness sake the ball is tomorrow, there has to be some sort of seamstress in the palace."

"You could always ask that Sullivan guy to find someone. He said he would be available if we needed anything."

Anna wrinkled her nose, "Ew, no…I'd rather not."

Hans sat up and leaned forward, "Are you talking about Thomas Sullivan? The palace advisor?"

Anna cautiously looked back and forth between Hans and Elsa, "…Yes. You know him?"

"We ran into him when we arrived."

"And he didn't recognize you guys?"

Elsa furrowed her brow, "Recognize us? No. How would he even know about us?"

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, "He told us when we arrived that King William IV was curious to meet…"

Anna bit her lip, "The infamous Snow Queen."

Elsa's eyebrows shot up and her mouth dropped slightly, "What?"

Anna uncomfortably shifted in her seat, "He said you made headlines around the world…you _both _did."

Hans raised his eyebrows, "Both of us?"

Fear slowly began to overcome Elsa, "Around the world?" She looked at Hans with a look of panic, "Everyone's going to figure out who we are at the ball tomorrow and who knows what's going to happen after that? People are going to treat us differently and look down on us and-"

"Elsa." Hans looked down at her hands and noticed that she had completely frozen her napkin, "Look at me, we're not going to worry about what other people think about you or me or your ice-"

"Here we go…" Hans quickly placed his napkin over Elsa's hands and her frozen napkin as Juliette placed the drinks onto the table, "Two chocolate espressos, one water, and one coffee wiz two shots of espresso and light crème. Would you like anyzing to eat?"

Hans glanced at Elsa before giving the waitress one of his most charming smiles, "I think we'll take the check, now, Juliette. We've got a lot of things to do today."

Juliette placed the check on the table, "Très bien, zank you for dining wiz us and I hope to see you all very soon."

"Absolutely, thanks Juliette."

In less than an hour, Anna and Kristoff were leading Hans and Elsa down the palace corridors. As Hans carefully looked around, Elsa sidled up to her sister, "Anna, I was thinking that Hans could go with Kristoff to his room while you and I deal with my dress in your room. That way we can kill two birds with one stone."

Anna bit her lip as they approached the door, "Yeah, sure…but there's just one problem."

"What's that?"

Anna unlocked the door with a sheepish smile, "Kristoff and I are sharing a room."

"You're what?!" Elsa grabbed her arm and dragged her inside before the guys caught up to them, "Anna that's outright indecent!"

"It's not like you and Hans never shared a room before you were married."

Elsa tried to keep her voice low and even, "We weren't a couple when that happened, plus, he was always bleeding and someone had to keep an eye on him. Besides, we hated each other at the time so it was safe to say that nothing was going to happen."

"Elsa, nothing's happened and nothing's _going_ to happen, Kristoff and I aren't even sleeping in the same room. I sleep on the bed in the bedroom and he sleeps on the couch in the living room."

Elsa skeptically raised an eyebrow, "Really."

"Yes! Don't you trust us? Don't you trust _me_?"

Elsa scoffed, "I trusted you to stay in Arendelle and watch over our kingdom and yet here you are in London."

Anna took a step back with a hurt expression, "Okay, I admit it, I messed up! I thought you already forgave me for my mistake."

Elsa mentally slapped herself and let her expression soften, "…You're right. I'm sorry."

There was an awkward silence when Hans and Kristoff walked in, but then Anna's face lit up, "Stay right here! I know where we can find a seamstress." Kristoff and Hans looked at Elsa, who just shrugged back at the two men. A couple minutes passed before Anna returned with a petite brunette in tow, "Here she is…ta-da!"

Elsa's eyes widened, "Rapunzel?!"

Rapunzel giggled at everyone's surprised expressions, "Good morning everyone! Anna just caught me as I was finishing up my morning stroll and told me that you guys were in need of a seamstress."

Elsa was thoroughly confused, "Yes, but-"

Anna held onto her cousin's arm, "I remember Rapunzel telling me that when she was in her tower she learned how to do all sorts of things like play guitar, paint, knit, make candles and-"

"Sew dresses!" Rapunzel smiled at the memory, "I even made Pascal a miniature version of the outfit I used to wear when I was younger."

Kristoff's eyebrows shot up, "You play guitar?"

Hans smirked, "You sewed a dress for a chameleon?"

Elsa shrugged, "That's good enough for me, but what are you doing in London?"

Rapunzel closed the door behind her, "The same reason that Anna and Kristoff are here…to represent their kingdom at the ball tomorrow and to discuss a possible alliance with Great Britain. Now, shall we get started?"

Elsa smiled, "Please by all means…"

Elsa and Anna were able to get done pretty quickly because although Elsa was a few inches taller than Anna, they were roughly the same dress size. Elsa had decided to wear a very dark green dress that had tight long sleeves that also came off the shoulder and the material covering her arms, upper chest, and upper back were much thinner than the rest of the dress. In about an hour's time, Rapunzel finished making the small alterations and handed Elsa the finished product, "Here we are, Elsa. Everything should fit you perfectly and if not then you know where to find me."

Elsa admired her cousin's handy work, "This is phenomenal, Rapunzel! Thank you."

Rapunzel laughed, "Don't thank me yet, we still have to deal with Hans and Kristoff. So Hans, what are you looking at?"

"I should probably wear something green to match Elsa, but perhaps mix it with a dark purple almost black."

Rapunzel searched through Kristoff's formal attire and found a dark green jacket and pants and matched it with a very dark purple vest and sash, and finally a black shirt and boots. After Rapunzel put the outfit together she called Hans over, "Okay, so something like this?"

Hans nodded, "Yes that looks very nice. I brought a black shirt and boots with me so I can wear that."

Rapunzel picked up the clothes and placed them in Hans's arms, "Great, so put on the rest."

"Uh…" Hans looked back Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff.

Elsa crossed her arms and gave her husband an impish grin, "Go ahead Hans, try it on."

After a few minutes, Hans came out behind the changing screen with Kristoff's clothes draped over his body like oversized curtains. Anna and Elsa looked at each other before they burst out laughing. Anna fell to the floor and actually let out a snort as Elsa held her stomach and wiped away a tear, "Oh my goodness!"

Hans crossed his arms and snarled, "Okay that's enough."

As he began walking back to the changing screen, Rapunzel ran over to him and grabbed his arm, "No, no, no…I need you to stand still for a while until the alterations are complete."

Elsa tried to regain her composure as she finished wiping the tears, "Yes, Hans stand still."

Hans glared at his wife as Rapunzel began working on his jacket, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

Elsa sat back and smiled, "Way more than I should…" She blew him an air kiss, "Love you."

Hans smirked, "Uh-huh."

When they were about an hour and a half into the alterations, there was a knock on the door. Rapunzel took out the few pins she was holding in her mouth, "Can someone get that? I left a note on my pillow for Eugene so it could be him."

Kristoff stood up to go open the door and returned with Eugene in tow. Eugene took one look at Hans and gave him a skeptical look, "I hate to tell you this, Hans, but I think those clothes are a little big on you."

Hans rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't you start with me too."

Eugene chuckled as he walked over to Rapunzel and l leaned over to kiss her but stopped when he noticed that she had sewing pins sticking out of her mouth, "Gah! Geez, Blondie, if you didn't want to kiss me, you could just say so instead of threatening me."

Rapunzel smiled and rolled her eyes as she continued to work on Hans's pants. Anna watched as Eugene leaned close to Rapunzel's ear and whispered something to her. In response, Rapunzel nodded and Eugene kissed her on the forehead before he made his way over to the two sisters and ice harvester. Anna smiled up at Eugene, "Sorry we had to drag your wife into this but I didn't know anyone else who could help."

Rapunzel took the last pin out of her mouth, "Don't worry about it, Anna. We're family, that's what we're here for."

Anna leaned back and took a long hard look at her cousin, "Something's different about you Rapunzel."

Rapunzel furrowed her brow as she continued pinning Hans's pants, "Oh? I hope it's a good different?"

"It is…you seem to have more life in you."

Rapunzel giggled, "I guess, technically, I do…"

"Huh?"

Rapunzel looked at Eugene with a wide smile before she stood up and walked over to her cousins, "I want to tell you two something …" She took their hands and led them to the bedroom and closed the door.

Kristoff and Hans curiously looked at Eugene, who gave them a smirk as he held up his hand, "In three…two…one…" He pointed at the door right when the three girls began screaming from the bedroom, "There it is."

The door swung open as Anna ran to Eugene and gave him a big hug, "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Elsa walked over and gave him a hug after her sister let go, "Congratulations, Eugene."

Kristoff wildly looked at the scene unfolding before him, "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

Anna excitedly squealed as she grabbed Kristoff's arm, "Rapunzel and Eugene are going to have a baby!"

Hans smiled, "I would shake your hand or give you guys a hug if I weren't pinned up like a porcupine."

Rapunzel laughed, "You can change if you want, but you might need someone to help you because there are a lot of pins in your clothes." Rapunzel lifted a teasing eyebrow at her cousin, "And I believe that's your department, Elsa."

Eugene winked at her as he opened the door and began to usher everyone out, "If I recall correctly, you two are supposed to be on a honeymoon. So we're going to go get something for lunch and be back in a little while."

After everyone left, Hans began to waddle towards the changing screen, "If Rapunzel can pull off this wardrobe crisis, I don't know how we will ever repay her."

Elsa giggled, "Hans, if we're the only ones in here, you don't have to go behind the changing screen."

Hans stopped and slowly turned to his wife, "You make a good point. But maybe I just wanted to be modest."

Elsa rolled her eyes as she walked over to him, "You modest? When have you ever been modest?"

Hans smirked, "I have my moments."

Elsa pursed her lips as she looked him over, "So where do we start?"

"Let's get this jacket off first…" Elsa began to remove the jacket but accidentally pricked Hans in four different areas, "Ow!"

"Sorry! Rapunzel was right, there are a lot of pins in this thing." She snapped her fingers, "I've got it…but it might get a little chilly."

Elsa touched the collar of his jacket and slowly began to cover the jacket in a very thin layer of ice and in the process also covered the pins that now blended into the ice jacket. Hans slowly shrugged off the ice jacket, "Hey that worked really well…but about the rest?"

Elsa shrugged, "I could do the same but it would be especially cold because of the direct contact with your skin. It's your choice though."

Hans tried to remove the vest but grimaced when several more pins pierced his skin, "You know what? Just do it."

Elsa nodded as she touched his vest and his pants, letting her ice slowly cover the clothes. She then turned to go find a blanket as he slipped out of his ice clothes and quickly put on his pants. When she returned she couldn't help but blush as she handed him the blanket, "Here…I didn't want you to get too cold."

He gratefully wrapped himself up and involuntarily shivered, "Thanks. This is, what, the second time you've frozen my clothes?"

Elsa laughed as she sat on the sofa, "That's right, it is…no wonder why you weren't too surprised-" She suddenly stopped when she got a good look at his bare chest.

Hans followed her gaze and noticed that she was staring at the scars on his chest from when he was killed by the crossbows back in Sperca. He sat down beside her, "It's okay, Elsa…"

"It's just that you've gone through so much because of me…and now you're going to have those scars for the rest of your life…"

"I don't mind. They'll just serve as reminders that I succeeded in protecting the person I love, even when things got especially dire."

"Hans…" Elsa leaned forward and kissed him roughly. He put his arms around her and pulled her up onto him as he ran his hands up and down her back, his lips gently meeting hers with so much tenderness that her heart ached, "I love you, Hans Westergaard."

Suddenly his lips seized hers with surprising passion. She could feel herself getting swept away as she pressed her palms against his strong shoulders, "Wait, we better stop." She sat up and stared down at him, momentarily out of breath, "This is Anna and Kristoff's room, not ours. We should try to respect their living space."

Hans chuckled, "As you wish, Your Majesty."

* * *

It was the early evening on Friday when Elsa and Hans were getting ready for the ball in Rapunzel and Eugene's room because Rapunzel had insisted that they join them so she could work on any last minute alterations. Eugene was sitting on a chair, dressed and ready to go, mindlessly watching the people on the streets pass the palace. Rapunzel was still in her robe as she finished the final stitches in Hans's suit and Elsa was in the bathroom getting dressed. Rapunzel cut the final thread and smiled, "There…it's finally done. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

Hans chuckled as he looked at himself in the mirror, "It's perfect, Rapunzel. If you weren't born a princess then you definitely could have made it big in the fashion industry."

Rapunzel laughed as Elsa walked out of the bathroom in her green ball gown and her hair was pulled back into a half crown braid, letting a few stray curls frame her face, "Does everything look okay?"

Rapunzel smiled, "Oh, Elsa, you look beautiful! You should wear your hair like that more often. You'll definitely be turning heads tonight."

Elsa smoothed out her dress, "Thanks…I'm hoping that people will forget my past failures if I glam myself up a little bit."

Rapunzel placed her hand on her cousin's shoulder, "Oh, Elsa-"

"Elsa…" Eugene stood up and looked at the Arendelle couple, "I want to talk to you and Hans about tonight." Eugene looked over his shoulder and smiled at his wife, "Rapunzel, you need to get dressed."

Elsa and Hans sat down on the sofa together as Eugene sat in the chair across from them, "Listen, you both have made past mistakes that have unfortunately made headlines around the world. But no matter how much you want to avoid it…they will come back to bite you and they will be brought up tonight. Whether you deserve it or not, someone in that room will try to manipulate you, verbally hurt you, or try to make you second guess yourself, it's a guarantee. But your past struggles have made you both stronger as individuals and as a couple, and you need to remember that you two have gone through way too much to be torn down by some posh royals and dignitaries. I'm going to be straightforward and say that tonight is _not _going to be fun, and I know that because the first time I went to a special event with Rapunzel, I was scrutinized and completely torn apart. I heard them gossiping about me, about my past criminal record, and my relationship with Rapunzel behind our back and it hurt both Rapunzel and me…well, mostly Rapunzel, I'm pretty used to being badmouthed. Nevertheless, I'm not here to give you two a pep talk…I'm trying to prepare you for whatever you will encounter in that ballroom tonight."

Elsa let out a long sigh, "Perhaps we should have let Anna and Kristoff take our place."

Hans held her hands, "We can't hide from the world anymore, if we don't face it now, we'll have to face it later on…might as well get it over with tonight."

Rapunzel walked in and stood beside her husband, "Besides, you've got us here to help you."

There was a knocked on the door, "Prince Eugene? Princess Rapunzel? They are going to start announcing the royal parties soon."

Eugene stayed where he was seated, "Thank you, Thomas."

Everyone remained quiet as they listened to Thomas's footsteps get farther and farther away. Hans stood up and offered Elsa his arm, "Shall we go, milady?"

Elsa took his arm and sighed, "We shall."


	7. Chapter 7

**************Hey Guys! I'm pretty proud of how quickly I was able to get this out to you and, even better, I should have Chapter 8 done within the next 24 hours (at the very most, 48 hours). I'm not trying to rush things but this is such an exciting part of the story, I can't stop writing! Originally, Chapter 7 & 8 were going to be one long chapter, but it was getting to be ridiculously long so I just divided it into two separate ones, plus it allows me to be more detail oriented and not rush the flow of events. I love all your reviews and I continue to ask for your support by writing what you think. Enjoy the chapter and Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 7: The Ball**

As Elsa and Hans made their way to the ballroom, Elsa could swear that her heart was about to beat out of her chest. She wished that she could just play it cool, like Hans seemed to be doing, but deep down she still feared that her ice powers could get out of hand if she was pushed far enough. They approached the double doors as the doormen and footman bowed, "Name, please?"

Elsa swallowed, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle and my King Consort, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

The footman nodded as he stepped inside the ballroom. A few seconds passed before a trumpet blew from the inside. Hans quickly leaned down and kissed her, "Don't worry, I'm going to be with you the entire time."

Elsa gave him a small smile as the double doors opened up and they stepped into the ballroom just as the footman was announcing their names, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle and her King Consort, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

The guests grew quiet as Elsa and Hans awkwardly stood in front of the crowd. Elsa held her breath, _Conceal, don't feel…don't feel. _Lucky for them the trumpet blew again so Hans and Elsa quickly walked out of the spotlight as the footman cleared his throat, "Presenting Princess Rapunzel of Corona and her Prince Consort, Eugene Fitzherbert." Rapunzel and Eugene walked in and politely smiled at all the guests. Elsa quickly scanned the room and noticed that most of the guests were smiling back at the Corona couple, especially the women at Eugene. _This is going to be a long night._

Rapunzel and Eugene walked over to Elsa and Hans while the next couple was being announced. Elsa gratefully smiled, "Thank goodness you guys came right after us. It was a little icy out there, and that's coming from me."

Rapunzel gave her a hopeful smile, "Don't worry that's usually the worst of it. The rest of the evening will mostly consist of civilized chatter and, in Eugene's case, light flirting."

Elsa giggled, "I did notice how happy the women were to see you, Eugene."

Eugene shrugged, "Every so often I have to break a few hearts but it's no sweat off my brow…" He wrapped his arm around Rapunzel's waist, "I'm a happily married man with no intentions of having a mistress. I have everything I could possibly need, right here."

Elsa raised her eyebrows, "Do many monarchs have mistresses?"

Hans chuckled, "Oh most certainly. They figure that since they're the most important person in the kingdom, they deserve to be kept happy in _every _aspect of their lives. Unfortunately for them, ninety-nine percent of the time mistresses destroy the royal family and that's how kingdoms crumble."

Elsa crossed her arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow, "And you know this how?"

Hans smirked, "Three words…twelve older brothers."

They all laughed as a group of women walked up to them. One of the women, who wore a very tight red dress that showed off _all _of her curves, stepped forward, "Princess Rapunzel you look absolutely lovely this evening. Prince Eugene, how on earth did you manage to get so lucky?"

Eugene smiled down at his wife and made sure to keep his arm around her, "Well, if you know how to sweep a lady off her feet, then the rest just falls into place."

The women all laughed as the one in red caught a waiter's attention, "I hope you like champagne…"

Rapunzel politely smiled, "Why, thank you." The women and Eugene took champagne glasses as Rapunzel kindly refused, "Let me introduce you to my cousin and her husband."

The woman in red spoke up again, "Ah yes, Queen Elsa of Arendelle…" She gave her a quick up and down glance, "I wondered what the Snow Queen looked like."

Elsa kept her face complacent, "Did I meet your expectations, miss…?"

"Scarlett Ludder." She took a long sip from her glass, "And you exceeded my expectations, Queen Elsa. The papers didn't mention how…_alluring _you were."

One of the women, who wore a flowing lavender gown, smirked, "Well, the papers did say you were, what was it exactly?"

Scarlett swirled her drink around, "An ice enchantress."

Elsa smirked, "Well, Miss Ludder, you can't believe everything you read. If I recall, there was nothing confirmed by my staff, my family, or me. So everything you read was merely accounts told by an unknown third party."

"That's right you have a sister don't you? What was her name…Annie?"

Hans and Elsa replied at the same time, "Anna."

Scarlett feigned embarrassment, "My apologizes…so is it true that you almost killed your sister?"

Elsa's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Pardon?"

Hans stood a bit straighter and placed a hand on Elsa's lower back, "Miss Ludder-"

Scarlett eyes Hans up and down, "You can call me Scarlett, handsome."

"I don't think that questioning my wife like this is appropriate."

"Well, you know _someone_ was going to ask, so why not me?"

Elsa raised her hand to quiet them down, "It's okay, Hans. Miss Ludder I can assure you that everything that happened in Arendelle was merely an accident."

Scarlett raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Mhmm…so which part was the accident? Accidentally freezing your entire kingdom, accidentally creating an eternal winter, or accidentally freezing your sister?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes, "What is it that you want from me?"

Scarlett nonchalantly shrugged, "I just want answers, Your Majesty."

Elsa gave her a haughty smirk, "Then I suggest you ask the right questions."

One of the footmen walked over to the group and bowed to all the royals, "Queen Elsa, some of the other dignitaries would like to chat with you if you're not too busy."

Elsa kindly smiled at the footman, "Absolutely not, lead the way."

The group watched as Elsa was being led to a somewhat large group of gentlemen. Scarlett glared at Elsa's back before turning her attention to the Corona couple, "So Princess Rapunzel, I can't help but notice that you didn't take any champagne. Don't you drink?"

Rapunzel slightly hesitated, "…Normally I would take some champagne, it's just…" She looked down at her stomach and then smiled up at her husband.

Scarlett mischievously grinned, "Ohhh, I understand, Your Highness. Congratulations, to the both of you." She looked away and pretended that something caught her attention, "If you'll excuse me…" Scarlett and her group of minions walked away, leaving Hans, Rapunzel, and Eugene alone.

Eugene glanced back over at Elsa, "I can't help but notice the extra attention Elsa is receiving from all the men."

Hans followed Eugene's gaze, "Well, she sure looks stunning in that gown. You did a good job, Rapunzel, thanks again."

"You're welcome." Rapunzel gave him a worried look, "Just be sure to keep a close eye on her and most importantly, the other men."

Hans watched as the group of flirtatious men grew larger around his wife, "I'm going to get some champagne for her…and me too."

Hans walked over to the side of the ballroom where the tables of snacks and drinks were being served. He ventured over to the champagne and nearly ran into a familiar face, "Prince Hans, what a coincidence running into you again…and so soon too."

Hans smirked, "Is it?"

Scarlett flirtatiously giggled, "You aren't mad at me, are you?"

Hans reached down to pick up two champagne glasses, "What do you think, Miss Ludder?"

She placed her hand on his outstretched arm, "I told you to call me Scarlett…" She took the second glass out of his hand and clink it with his, followed by a long sip, "I apologize for my previous behavior…I'm the top journalist at _The Times _so I have a bad habit of coming on a little strong. I really didn't mean to insult you or your wife."

Hans scoffed, "You've got a funny way of showing it."

Scarlett shyly smiled as she stepped very close to him and looked up through her long eyelashes, "So why are you here? As far as I know, Arendelle has no affiliation with Great Britain."

Hans smirked, "Well, now that I know you're a part of the press, I'm going to have to say…no comment."

She lightly laid a hand on his chest, "How did Queen Elsa forgive you? Why did she change her mind about you?"

"No comment."

"You left her sister, _your _fiancé at the time, to die a slow cold death. And you almost succeeded in killing the Queen too. You should have been killed for your crimes and yet here you are. What happened?"

Hans calmly, yet firmly, grabbed her wrist and took her hand off his chest, "Goodbye Miss Ludder."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes, "Someday your past will catch up with you…you can't run from it."

Hans walked over to Elsa and the large group of men gathering around her just as the group erupted in laughter. Hans came up behind his wife, "What's so funny?"

Elsa smiled up at him and lowered her voice, "Nothing really…" She looked down to see him offering her a drink, "Oh, I already got some. One of the gentlemen offered to get me a drink and I couldn't refuse."

Hans chuckled as he handed her the drink he brought and took away the other drink she was already holding, "Rule number one: Never accept drinks from strangers. Besides…" He placed the other drink on a tray that passed by, "I'm your husband…that automatically makes my drink better."

Elsa laughed as she clink glasses with him, "I'll drink to that." As she took a sip, she noticed that Hans was looking around uneasily, "What's wrong?"

He took another sip of his drink, "Nothing…I just can't wait until this night is over."

Elsa smirked, "You and me both. But don't worry, once we get out of here, we can relax at home and even take a quick midnight dip in the pond if you want."

Hans mischievously grinned, "I would very much like that."

Elsa linked arms with him and gave him a playful wink, "Great, it's a date."

* * *

Across the ballroom, Rapunzel and Eugene were standing against the wall, people watching and laughing amongst themselves. Eugene nodded his head towards the group of people gathering around Elsa and Hans, "It seems to me that your cousin is doing just fine with the extra publicity."

Rapunzel smiled over at her cousin, "I'm glad…it's nice to have them here. They certainly take a lot of attention away from us."

Eugene teasingly raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you okay with that?"

"Absolutely! I've never liked being in the spotlight to begin with, so it just figures that I married a man who shines in the limelight."

Eugene shrugged, "I'm a people person, what can I say? You're pretty good with people too…I mean, you won the hearts of Corona before the citizens even knew you were their princess."

Rapunzel smirked, "Are you okay with not being the center of attention?"

"I'll survive…somehow."

Rapunzel continued to look around and noticed an abundant amount of guards present, "So how's that gut feeling of yours?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"No, I want you to lie to me."

Eugene chuckled, "No need for that sass, Blondie. My Flynn Rider senses are going crazy…I would love nothing more than to get out of here."

"Then why don't we?"

"You and I both know that we can't leave…the guest of honor hasn't even showed up yet."

Rapunzel sighed, "I'm going to get something to eat…you want anything?"

"Nah, but I'll still go with you…"

As Eugene and Rapunzel made their way to the snack table, Eugene caught something out of the corner of his eye. Across the room, Thomas Sullivan was in the middle of a heated conversation with a man that looked eerily similar to Hans, except this man had glasses. Eugene watched them for a few seconds before Thomas sternly shook his head and the man with glasses stormed out of the ballroom, but the thing that really caught Eugene's attentions was the rather large, oddly shaped package hidden underneath the man's jacket.

Rapunzel caught is his concerned stare, "Is everything okay?"

Eugene looked at his wife and lowered his voice, "Huh? Oh, yes, uh, huh. I just…" He looked back at the door the strange man had left through, "I'm sorry, everything is fine. There's just something I have to check on."

Rapunzel followed his gaze and then looked back at him with concern, "Okay. I'll be waiting right here for you."

"Great, I'll be right back." He quickly kissed her forehead and then expertly weaved his way through the crowded ballroom and exited through the door. He hurried down the hallway and made a sharp turn around the corner, nearly bumping into a familiar face, "Miss Ludder! I'm so sorry-"

"Oh please, Prince Eugene, no need to apologize. No damage was done." She smoothed out her dress and gave him a winning smile, "So what are you doing out here…away from your wife?"

Eugene ignored her question and looked over her shoulder, "Have you seen a man with red hair, long sideburns, and wearing glasses?"

"Yes, I just passed him in the hall less than a minute ago…why?"

"Which way did he go?"

Scarlett pointed behind herself, "That way…is there something wrong?"

Eugene began to run down the hall with Scarlett in tow, "He was holding a large, oddly shaped package."

"So?"

"He was trying to hide it beneath his jacket…seems kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

Scarlett just shrugged, "Kind of…"

They stopped as they came to another corner, "Stay here." He peeked around the corner and saw that one of the doors in the hallway was slightly ajar, "Do you know what that door leads to?"

Scarlett stood very close to him as she peeked around the corner, "I believe that just leads to a utility closet." The door swung open as the mystery man stepped out. Eugene quickly pulled his head back and instinctively put his arm across Scarlett's chest, "My goodness, Prince Eugene, you don't waste any time."

Eugene looked down and quickly dropped his arm, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. It's just an automatic reaction."

They fell silent when they heard footsteps headed their way, "What are we going to do?"

Eugene hurried down a different hall and tried to open the few doors in the hallway, "Why on earth are all these doors locked? And we've hit a dead end too, how lucky."

Scarlett pursed her lips, "Where's your room?"

Eugene huffed as he leaned against the wall, "On the other side of the palace."

"We can stay here and hope he doesn't go down this way but if he does, we'll need a cover."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like it?"

Scarlett smirked as she tussled his hair and rumpled his clothes a little bit, "Can you act, Your Highness?"

"If the occasion calls for it…"

She wiped some of her lipstick from her lips and smudged it on his lips, "I'd kiss you but I respect your wife way too much to do so."

Eugene grabbed her wrist, "Who are you? One second you're coming on to men like a hungry lioness and now that you've got me alone, you're a completely different person."

"Most of it's just an act. I only flirt to get what I want out of men."

"Which is?"

She smirked, "A good story."

Unfortunately, the mystery man turned the corner, "Hey! What are you two doing? You can't be in this part of the palace without any guards."

Scarlett pressed her body close to Eugene's, "I didn't think we needed supervision for what we anticipated on doing."

"Oh…" The man blushed, "Miss Scarlett, I didn't recognize you."

Scarlett flipped her hair over her shoulder and swiftly pulled Eugene's face so close to hers that they could feel the breath of the other on their lips. They held that position for a few moments before Scarlett smiled, "I think he's gone."

Eugene breathed a sigh of relief as he untangled himself from her, "Miss Ludder, I owe you one."

She smirked as she fixed his hair, "I'm a dangerous woman to owe one to. Now, let's go see what was in that closet." They quickly ran down the hallway and turned the corner, "Which door was it?"

Eugene hurried down the hall, "Third door to the right…come on."

They opened the door and both gasped, "Oh. My. Gosh."

* * *

Anna sighed as she watched the city of London come alive with its lively nightlife. She rested her elbows on the ship's railing and held her head up with her hands. The crew was almost ready to set sail as Anna wistfully looked over at the beautiful St. James's Palace.

"Hey, you."

Anna turned around and gave her favorite ice harvester a sad smile, "Hey."

Kristoff leaned against the railing and gave her a concerned look, "You okay?"

Anna looked back at the palace, "Yeah, I'm fine…"

The Captain walked up to them and bowed, "Princess Anna, we are ready to set sail on your command."

Anna let out a long sigh, "Let's head on home, Captain." She shuffled to her onboard suite and solemnly looked out the large window by the desk.

Kristoff followed her inside and closed the door, "We should be grateful that Elsa let us stay another day."

Anna sat at the desk and leaned back in the chair, "Yeah, I know. I feel bad that I let her down, though. I'm sorry, Kristoff, I should have listened to you. Coming here was a bad idea…"

Kristoff was surprised by her negative composure, "Hey, on the bright side, we helped them out by giving them our formal wardrobe. So we did come in handy after all."

"I guess…but we abused her trust. No, I'm sorry, _I _abused her trust. You were right. I feel so stupid." Anna placed her arms on the desk and rested her head on them.

Kristoff walked over to her and gently rubbed her back, "No, Anna…you are many things, but you're not stupid. You truly thought you were doing the right thing and one can only admire your determination."

Anna lifted her head, "So you don't think I messed up?"

"I don't think you messed up as badly as you think you did."

Anna let out a short laugh, "I'll take what I can get."

* * *

Eugene and Scarlett both eyed the large package that was nicely tucked against the closet's back wall. Scarlett ran her fingers over an engraved symbol, "Prince Eugene…this is a VORTEX bomb."

Eugene furrowed his brows, "A what?"

"VORTEX is a terrorist organization that's been terrorizing this town for quite some time now. But it's only been little things like small robberies, suspicious activity on the black market, stuff like that…they never did anything of this caliber before. Fortunately for us, it doesn't seem to be armed just yet."

Eugene looked at her profile, "How do you know all this?"

"I'm a journalist at _The Times_…we've only briefly covered this organization because they are so evasive, no one has been able to track them down." She leaned forward and attempted to pick it up, "Perhaps we can get rid of this bomb before someone comes back to arm it…" As soon as she moved it, the bomb came to life and a timer began to count down from ninety seconds, "Uh-oh." She tugged hard at it, "It seems like it's been fastened to this wall, we can't move it."

Eugene quickly stood up, "What's on the other side of this wall?"

Scarlett began to quickly step away from the closet, "I'm pretty sure it's connected to the ballroom…the snack table to be exact."

Eugene's eyes widened, "Rapunzel!" He took off at a sprint with Scarlett right on his heels, "Miss Ludder, we need to evacuate the ballroom, now!"

"I'm on it!"

As Eugene ran at full speed, all he could think about was protecting his wife and their unborn child. The world around him seemed to be moving in slow motion as he burst through the ballroom doors and yelled for everyone to get away from the wall and find cover. People immediately began screaming and running towards the exits as Eugene tried to find his wife, "Rapunzel! Rapunzel, where are you?!"

"Eugene! Over here!"

Eugene pushed and shoved his way towards the snack table where he found Elsa and Hans surrounding his wife that was lying on the floor unconscious, "What happened?"

Elsa held her cousins head in her lap and kept a cool hand on her forehead, "She collapsed mere minutes before you arrived. I don't know if she fainted or if she ate something-"

Eugene kneeled down, "Listen, there's a bomb on the other side of this wall and it's going to blow any second. You two need to get out of here now."

Elsa gently lowered Rapunzel's head, "Can I help cushion the blow with my powers?"

Hans grabbed his wife's hand, "Elsa, blowing shards of ice is the last thing we need."

Eugene grunted as he lifted up his wife, "Let's go!" Hans and Elsa took off at a sprint as Eugene tried to follow as fast as he could. The Arendelle couple barely reached the doors on the other side of the ballroom and Eugene was only half across the room when the bomb went off, throwing everyone several yards before everything went black.

* * *

Anna jumped up from her seat, "What was that?!"

They both ran outside and looked over the side of the ship, revealing a city succumbed to chaos. Kristoff caught the arm of a sailor running past him, "Sir, what happened?"

"An explosion went off in the palace, and now a good part of it is on fire."

Kristoff's eyes went wide, "An explosion in the palace?"

Anna looked back at the chaos, "Elsa!" Anna ran towards the edge of the ship, "We need to go back!"

Kristoff ran after her, "Anna, no, it's not safe."

Tears began to fill her eyes, "My sister is in that palace! She needs me-"

"Arendelle needs you."

"She could be dying!"

Kristoff grabbed her shoulders, "Anna, if Elsa and Hans both die, you're all Arendelle has left and I'm not going to let the people become leaderless because of your stubbornness."

"Let go of me!"

She tried to push him away from her but his grip was too strong, "Anna, for once, I'm saying no to you. And I think it's to your benefit that you listen to me. A few minutes ago you apologized for ignoring me…well you can make it up right now by staying safe and going back to Arendelle."

Anna hung her head, "Okay, you're right…"

Kristoff gave her a sad smile and a warm hug, before he began walking back to her suite, "Anna, I think you're doing the right thing-" He heard a loud splash and quickly spun around to find that Anna wasn't there. He ran over to the edge of the ship and looked down into the dark waters, "Anna!" He turned around and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Princess overboard! Stop the ship!"

The crew began running around, listening to the Captain's orders as Kristoff looked back into the waters, frantically searching for the love of his life, "Anna!" Still not finding the redheaded princess, Kristoff did the only thing he could think of, which was jumping overboard and searching for her himself. Once in the water, he gasped as he came to the surface, "Anna!"

"Kristoff?!"

Kristoff turned around and spotted the Arendelle princess underneath a dock, clinging onto a wooden pillar, "Anna! Stay there!"

Anna's eyes widened, "Kristoff, look out, behind you!"

Kristoff turned his head and saw that he was in the direct path of the Arendelle ship heading towards the dock. He began to frantically swim as fast as he could towards Anna, but the ship was gaining fast. Kristoff took one last big breath before the ship's waves overpowered him and caused him to tumble beneath the surface.

Anna's heart stopped as she saw Kristoff disappear under the water, "Kristoff!" She worriedly looked for any sign of the ice harvester in the dark cold waters. _What have I done?! Oh my goodness! What have I done?! _Tears began to fill her eyes as she buried her face into the wooden pillar, "Kristoff…"

Several seconds passed before she felt a sudden weight drag her down beneath the water. Fortunately for her, she was still holding onto the pillar and was able to drag herself above the surface. She lifted her leg up to reveal that a hand had tightly grabbed onto her calf. She grabbed hold of the hand and grunted as she lifted the rest of the body, revealing her favorite ice harvester, "Kristoff!" She noticed that his lips were blue and he was completely unresponsive. She desperately swam towards shore, "Hang on, Kristoff! Think of happy, reindeer thoughts!"

When she finally was able to reach shore, she was completely out of breath and utterly exhausted. She laid him on his back and began the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation she had learned when reading all those medical books awhile back, when Kristoff was sick with the plague. She was breathing so hard from the long swim, she wasn't sure if she was giving him enough air but continued the process despite her dwindling energy. When nothing seemed to be working, tears began flowing down her cheeks, "Kristoff, please! Don't leave me! Elsa and Hans could be dead…I can't lose you too." She leaned down and tried one more time, giving him the remainder of whatever breath she had left. Suddenly, he gasped and spit out a lot of water, followed by a coughing fit, "Kristoff!"

She turned him over on his side so he could cough out whatever water he had left inside of him. When the coughing finally subsided, Anna threw her arms around him, "Oh, Kristoff! I thought I lost you."

The color on Kristoff's cheek was slowly returning as he sat up and gave her his signature smirk, "For a moment there you did…but you can't get rid of me that easily."

Anna fell into his lap and peppered his face with light kisses and then finished it off with the biggest kiss she had ever given him. Kristoff had no problem with it as he wrapped his strong arms around her wet body and returned her kiss with just as much gusto. They could have stayed like that forever if someone behind them hadn't cleared their throat, "Your Highness?"

Anna spun her head around and felt her cheeks grow hot, "Oh! Captain, I didn't-"

"My apologize, Princess, I just wanted to make sure you two were okay."

Anna looked over the Captain's shoulder and gasped when she saw the chaos that continued to overtake the city, "Elsa! We need to find Elsa and Hans!"

Kristoff slowly stood up, "Don't forget about Eugene and Rapunzel…"

Anna grabbed his hand and began running into town, "We need to go _now_!"

They pushed and shoved their way through the gathering crowd around the palace gates. But thanks to Kristoff's size and strength, they quickly made it to the front of the crowd where plenty of police officers and medical personal were running around attending to the royal guests and dignitaries. Anna frantically searched for a familiar face but became more worried when she couldn't find a single family member, "I don't see them, do you?"

Kristoff stretched to his full height and took a good look around, "No, I don't see any sign of them."

Anna began to push her way through the police barricade until two officers grabbed her arms, "I'm sorry, miss, but this area is off limits."

Anna struggled against the two men, "Let me go! My sister is still in there! And I'm no 'miss', I'm a princess!"

Kristoff protectively came up behind Anna and crossed his arms, trying to seem as intimidating as possible, "Officers, I'm going to have to ask you to let the Princess of Arendelle go."

The officers' eyes slightly widened at Kristoff's tough physique but they held their tight grip on the princess, "And who are you?"

Anna smirked, "He's my security detail…now let me go!"

The commotion that was occurring caught the attention of the palace advisor, "Officers, what's going on here?"

"Mr. Sullivan, this woman claims she's the Princess of Arendelle."

"Well, she's right. This is Princess Anna, the younger sister of Queen Elsa. Hello, Princess." Anna gave him a half-hearted wave, "Officers, please release the Princess and allow her and her security behind the barricade."

"Yes, sir…sorry, Your Highness."

Thomas walked away with Anna and Kristoff right on his heels, "Mr. Sullivan, where's Elsa? What happened?"

"I don't know what happened or where your sister is…" He turned and gave Anna's wet appearance an up and down glance, "What happened to you, Princess?"

Anna nonchalantly waved her hand, "Ship departing, explosion went off, I jumped overboard, and now I'm here…we need to find Elsa, Hans, Rapunzel, and Eugene."

A female voice came from behind, "You know Prince Eugene?"

Anna turned around and stared at a beautiful young lady with a very tight red dress, "Yes, he's married to my cousin, Rapunzel. How do you know him?"

"I was with him when we found the bomb, but when we ran back into the ballroom to warn everyone, we parted ways and that was the last time I saw him. I assumed he went to go find his wife, I just don't know where he was when the bomb went off."

Anna looked the woman up and down, "Who are you?"

She respectively bowed her head, "Miss Scarlett Ludder, I'm a journalist from _The Times_."

Thomas furrowed his brow, "Miss Scarlett, do you know what kind of bomb it was?"

Scarlett tilted her head at him, "…No, I couldn't see any specific emblems engraved into it and it's probably too late to go back and check. But it was pretty big, so it's safe to say that if anyone was in the ballroom when the bomb went off, they're most likely dead. If not from the explosion's impact then definitely the fire would have killed them when they were knocked unconscious."

Anna looked up into the burning palace, "Let's hope they weren't in the ballroom then."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ta-da! Here's the next chapter and I even managed to upload it within the 24-48 hour window I promised. Please keep reviewing and I'll try to get another chapter out soon! Pinky-promise! Enjoy the chapter and Happy Reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 8: The Aftermath **

There was an extremely high-pitched ringing and the air was hot and thin, as Hans began to come around. Visibility was poor because of all the black smoke that was quickly filling the ballroom and everything seemed to be spinning. Hans slowly sat up and took in the appearance of the room, broken beams and woodchips were splayed everywhere and flames engulfed the far wall, but what really caught Hans's attention were the random displays of melting ice on the walls around him, "Elsa?" He began coughing, not noticing how dry his throat had become, "Elsa!"

He worriedly looked around for her, but he couldn't see his wife anywhere, "Elsa, where are you?!" _Maybe she awoke before me and hurried out…no, she wouldn't have just left me to die. _The fire began to flare up when it caught onto some nearby banners. _I've got to get out of here before this whole room collapses on me. _Suddenly, it hit him. _Rapunzel! Eugene! They were behind us when the bomb went off. _He ran further into the ballroom and frantically began searching for the Corona couple amongst the debris, "Rapunzel! Eugene!" He froze when he heard the roof above him begin to creak. _The structure is getting weaker by the second, I need to hurry. _

Embers and ashes continued to fall on him as he ventured further into the wreckage, "Rapunzel! Eugene!" Finally, he spotted something purple among the orange and red flames, "Eugene!" Trapped beneath heavy debris, lay the unconscious Corona prince with plenty of bumps, bruises, and cuts covering his face.

Hans tried to lift the wreckage off of him, but it had gotten too hot from the nearby flames. Hans tired to think as he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve from the smoke and flames that continued to grow stronger. _I've got it! _Hans took off his jacket and tied it around the lowest and biggest piece of debris and slowly lift it up, causing the rest of the smaller debris to simply slide off.

When Eugene was finally free, Hans picked him up and searched the area for his wife, "Rapunzel! Rapunzel!" But just like Elsa, Rapunzel was nowhere to be found. As the roof above him began to cave in, Hans tried to run as fast as he could with Eugene slung over his shoulder, and just as he jumped through the doorway, the entire roof collapsed onto the ballroom. Hans breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly looked over Eugene. _I've got a pulse, it's frail but at least he's still alive. _He carried him over his shoulder and ran as fast as he could towards the exit before something else went off.

* * *

Several minutes had past, since Anna arrived at the palace and her hopes for finding anyone she knew were fading quickly. The fire department was already on scene, but every time they tried to gain access to the palace, the flames would flare up, making it extremely difficult to put out the fire.

Out of nowhere, another explosion went off. Kristoff flung himself over Anna and everyone else ducked and covered their heads from the flying debris. Anna wildly looked around, "Another bomb?"

Kristoff shook his head, "I don't think so. It didn't sound as forceful as the initial blow we heard from the docks. Perhaps the flames found a gas pipe or something similar that caused the explosion."

Suddenly, several medical personal began to run towards the front entrance, "We found more survivors!"

Anna turned toward the commotion and to her relief she saw a beat up looking Hans carrying an unconscious Eugene, "Hans!"

Doctors and nurses had placed Eugene in a nearby stretcher and immediately put an oxygen mask over him. Hans heard his name being called and turned around to see Anna running towards him at full force. She happily wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest, "Hans, I'm so happy to see you! I thought everyone was dead!" She let go of him and clutched onto his forearms, "Where's Elsa and Rapunzel?"

Hans wildly looked around, "You mean they're not out here?"

Anna shook her head, "No…weren't they inside with you and Eugene?"

Hans shook his head as panic began to show on his face, "I looked everywhere and I couldn't find them. There was so much smoke and debris…oh no, what if I missed them? They could still be in there!" He remembered the falling ceiling and how the entire ballroom was destroyed, "Elsa!" He ran towards the entrance of the palace but was stopped when several officers caught him and restrained him, "Let go! I have to find my wife!"

"Your Majesty, the building is highly unstable. We can't let you go back in there to search for her. You'll most likely die-"

"Then I'll die! But I have to at least try!"

Anna grabbed his arm spun him around to face her, "Hans! Look at me…if Elsa dies, _you're_ next to take the throne…Arendelle needs their king."

He dropped his head, "Anna…"

She cupped his face with her hands as her teary blue eyes met his panicky green ones, "I need you Hans…I'm already suffering because Elsa and Rapunzel are missing, I can't afford to lose you too. Please…"

He gave her a sad smile, "…Okay."

She felt something wet and somewhat sticky behind his head, "Hans! You're bleeding! We need to get you to a doctor, now!" He didn't fight her as she held his hand and dragged him over to where Eugene was getting treated, "How's Eugene doing, doctor?"

The doctor, who was impressively young and extremely attractive, took off his glasses, "He's in stable condition, but I just can't comprehend how he survived that explosion. He was close enough to receive a lot of damage but not enough to kill him."

Hans winced as he looked at Eugene's battered condition, "He was about halfway across the room when the bomb went off."

The doctor put on his glasses, "Then he was _very _lucky."

Anna pushed Hans in front of her, "Doctor, I need you to look over Hans for me, there seems to be blood coming from the back of his head."

"Of course, please sit, Your Majesty."

Anna took a few steps back and wrapped her arms around Kristoff as they watched the doctor hand Hans a small oxygen tank and place the mask over his nose and mouth. One of the nurses handed the doctor a lantern and he began to inspect Hans's eyes and head.

Kristoff looked down at Anna, "What do you need?"

"Huh?"

He gently brushed a piece of her hair away from her face, "You're in pain and I want to help…just tell me what you need."

She looked over at the burning palace and wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold, "I want my sister and my cousin…alive."

"Anna-"

She turned to face him with a look of determination on her face, "If they die, I want to find whoever did this and they're going to have to answer to me."

She walked back towards Hans and Eugene, leaving Kristoff standing alone with an uncomfortable knot forming in his stomach, "What are we getting ourselves into?"

* * *

The doctor took the oxygen mask off Hans and began packing up his things. Anna smiled as she approached them, "How are things going over here?"

"He seems to be okay, a slight concussion and a few bumps and bruises…overall nothing too serious."

Anna frowned, "But what about the blood?"

The doctor shrugged, "I closely examined his head and there doesn't seem to be any open wounds which could only mean one thing. This blood doesn't belong to him…"

Anna glanced at Hans before she whispered to the doctor, "Who's blood is it? "

"Ah, Princess, please come with me…" The doctor gently led her away from Hans, "My best guess would be that the blood belongs to whoever was next to him when the bomb went off."

Anna bit her lip, "That would most likely be my sister, his wife, the Queen of Arendelle."

The doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry, Your Highness…maybe there was an unknown third party."

"Maybe…can Hans go home now?"

The doctor stopped walking "Home? I thought you were staying in the palace?"

Anna let out a long sigh, "Hans and Elsa were staying at his brother's house a little outside of town…this was actually supposed to be their honeymoon."

The doctor tiredly rubbed his face, "What a terrible nightmare this must be for him and for you too. Yes, Hans can certainly go home but he cannot fall asleep for the next twelve hours because of the concussion."

"Okay…what about Eugene?"

"He, ah, I'm not so sure about him. Prince Eugene has suffered a serious concussion, much worse than Prince Hans. He also has numerous lacerations across his upper body, despite wearing several layers of clothing, not to mention that he's still unconscious. But he is stable and there's honestly nothing more we can do, so if I release him into your care, you must promise to keep a very close eye on him until he wakes up."

"You have my word, doctor."

"I trust you Princess, but if either Prince Eugene or Prince Hans take a turn for the worst you come find me immediately. Take my horse and buggy with you tonight and you can return it to me anytime tomorrow. My office is in the building beside Le Jardin Café…do you know where that is?"

"Yes."

"Good…Princess, your sister and your cousin are not dead until their bodies are found. That may sound morbid, but it's meant to be comforting…don't give up hope."

"Thank you…" Anna let out a shaky breath, "I can't take all of this uncertainty. I don't think I can handle being alone again."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You still have Prince Hans, Prince Eugene, and that other strapping young fellow that seems to care about you. You're still loved by these men, and they're leaning on you as much as you're leaning on them. Take care, Princess…be strong."

"Yes, doctor." She watched him walk back to another part of the police barricade and disappear into the crowd before she returned to Hans who was still sitting beside Eugene's unresponsive body.

He looked up at her with an uneasy smile, "Hey."

"Hey…you wanna go home?"

"Can I?"

She gave him a tired nod as she looked down at Eugene, "We can take Eugene home too, and he'll be under my care until he comes around, which works just fine because I have to stay up with you for the next twelve hours because of your concussion."

Hans gave her a concerned look, "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Anna waved over Kristoff, "No…let's get out of here."

They placed Eugene in the back of the buggy while Hans and Anna sat in the front and Kristoff walked beside the horse. The voyage to the house was very quiet as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. When they finally approached the house, Anna had made up her mind and decided that she would follow in her sister's footsteps by being strong and taking control of the situation at hand. She hopped off the buggy and looked around the estate, "Hans, where can we put Eugene?"

"There are several guest bedrooms upstairs."

"Good, Kristoff you take Eugene to a guestroom and I'll follow you up shortly. Hans, please deal with the horse and buggy."

Hans gave them the keys, and let Kristoff take Eugene inside as he led the horse and buggy to the stables. After he unlatched the horse from the buggy and placed him in a stall, with fresh food and water, he walked back into the house to see Anna searching through the kitchen, "Can I help you find something?"

She let out a small squeak, "Hans, you scared me!"

"Sorry…" He pulled out a bottle of wine, "Were you looking for this?"

Anna stood next to him and looked into the same cupboard that Hans pulled the wine out of, "No, I was actually looking for the alcohol…like the real stuff."

He looked down at her in surprise, "Really? You never struck me as a drinker."

"I'm not going to drink it." She pulled out a bottle and read the label, "I'm going to use it to clean out Eugene's wounds. I don't see any sense in getting drunk at a time like this anyways." She set the bottle on the counter and bent down to take out clean washcloths from the lower cabinets.

Hans leaned against the counter and watched her, "Now would be the perfect time to drink. It helps numb the pain and you temporarily forget about the troubles around you."

"But what happens after you pass out?" She placed the washcloths next to the bottle of alcohol and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows, "You wake up a sick vomiting mess and the problems are still there, you just have an enormous headache on top of everything." She picked up the supplies and placed them in a large basin, "You better put that wine back, Hans, because you need to be sober and awake for the next twelve hours. I don't want to deal with two unconscious men." Hans just stood there, stunned by her sudden maturity as she strode out of the kitchen and hurried up the stairs.

* * *

Anna walked into Eugene's room and placed the basin on the nightstand, "Anything, Kristoff?"

"Absolutely nothing…are you sure you can do this, Anna?"

"I rescued you from drowning, didn't I? I think I'm more than capable of cleaning and wrapping wounds. Please take his shirt off, the doctor said he had several lacerations on his upper body and I want to see how bad it is."

Kristoff awkwardly took off his shirt and turned up the lanterns so they could get a good look at the damage. Anna gasped as Kristoff winced, "That's pretty bad." He looked down at her with kind eyes, "Anna…" He took her hands into his, "You don't need to be strong for me. What you're going through is not easy, so if you want to cry, then feel free to cry. I'm here for you."

She took in a sharp breath, "No, I-I can't…but thanks anyways." Anna leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, "Kristoff, can you bring Hans up here? I want him under my supervision at all times. After that, I want you to go back to the ship and retrieve our luggage…we're going to be here for a while."

Kristoff nodded and exited the room as Anna went into the conjoined bathroom to wash her hands and fill the basin with water. When she walked back into the bedroom, Hans was already there, sitting on the sofa with a distraught look on his face, "I can't believe this is happening…he was going to be a father, too."

Anna tied an apron around her waist, "What do you mean '_was_'? Rapunzel isn't dead until we find her body. And the same goes with Elsa."

"Anna, I know optimism is your _thing _but come on…I messed up."

Anna soaked a washcloth into the basin and squeezed the water out, "So this is your fault? You planted the bomb?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then it's not your fault." She placed the washcloth on Eugene's forehead and looked at Hans, "You did what you could, and look, you even saved Eugene's life. I wouldn't count that as a failure."

Hans watched as she cleaned Eugene's face of all the dirt and ash, "Do you need help?"

Anna nonchalantly shrugged, "Sure…grab an apron and then go wash your hands."

For the next twenty minutes, Hans and Anna worked side-by-side, hardly speaking to each other unless Anna was giving Hans instructions. Hans eventually stopped working and just watched her, carefully observing how gentle her hands worked on Eugene's damaged back, "What are you thinking about?"

She continued working without even looking up at him, "Do you want to know what I'm thinking about overall or what I'm thinking about right this second?"

"Right this second."

"Eugene has a really strong back."

Hans chuckled, "Okay, what about overall."

Anna hesitated, "…I'm scared of losing the people I care about."

Hans raised his eyebrows, "You're scared? Princess Anna of Arendelle is scared?"

"I'm allowed to be frightened, aren't I?"

"Sure, I've just never heard you admit that to anyone before."

"Then you should consider yourself lucky."

Hans scoffed, "…Not feeling very lucky at the moment."

For the first time in the past twenty minutes, Anna looked up at him, "You're lucky to be alive. Come here…" He walked around to the other side of the bed and stood directly in front of her as she grabbed a clean washcloth and soaked it in the basin. She gave him a little smirk as she began to clean his face, "You still have dirt and ash all over your face."

Hans chuckled, "Sorry, I guess I forgot that I'm still a mess."

Anna softly giggled, "It's not too bad…" She swiftly wiped along his jaw line, "See? All clean."

Hans gently grabbed her wrist, "Who's blood was it?"

"W-what?"

"I overheard the doctor telling you that the blood you found on my head was not mine. So who did it belong to?"

Anna hesitated, "…We don't know for sure-"

"Its Elsa's blood, isn't it?"

"Again, we don't know for sure, but the doctor said that it most likely belonged to whoever was beside you when the bomb went off."

Hans hung his head and then looked towards the window, "Elsa…"

Anna reached up and gently touched his cheek, "Hans, I-"

"Which room do you…am I interrupting something?" Kristoff incredulously looked back and forth between Anna and Hans.

Anna and Hans jumped apart as Anna slightly blushed, "No, no…of course not. What were you saying?"

Kristoff's demeanor remained stoic, "Which room do you want?"

"I'll take the one between Hans and Eugene's room. I want to be near both of them in case something goes wrong."

"Okay…do you need anything else?"

Anna shook her head as she washed a cloth in the basin, "Get some sleep Kristoff. When Eugene wakes up, you could relieve me in watching him for a few minutes."

"Alright…" He gave Hans one more hard look before he turned to leave, "Night."

"Kristoff, wait." Anna ran over to him and gave him an encouraging smile, "Thank you." Before he could respond she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss, "Goodnight."

Kristoff blushed as he cleared his throat, "Goodnight."

Once Kristoff left, Hans chuckled as he sat on the couch, "He really has it bad for you. I've never seen a guy blush so much with just a single kiss."

Anna smugly smiled as she sat down on the couch beside him, "Well, maybe I'm just a really good kisser. But you'll never know because you never kissed me." Anna's eyes widened when she saw Hans's face pale, "No, I'm sorry, I meant that in a joking way. I wasn't referring to the true love's kiss disaster-"

"Anna…" His expression became solemn, "Have I ever apologized to you?"

"Probably, I don't know…"

He took her hands into his and looked directly into her eyes, "Anna, I take _every _bit of blame for what happened back then and I hurt you unnecessarily. You were unaware of any of it. I'm sorry, I will always be sorry for getting sucked into it all. I've hurt a lot of people and ruined lives. You're never going to forgive me but I am truly sorry. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, I hurt people. But when I say sorry, I actually mean it."

Anna gently squeezed his hands, "Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them. Until we have seen someone's darkness, we don't really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone's darkness, we don't really know what love is. I've learned…that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself."

Hans let go of her hands and leaned back, "I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

Anna brought her knees up to her chest, "Well, I forgive you. Not just because you said sorry but because you showed me through your actions that you do mean it and you do care about my sister and Arendelle."

Hans absentmindedly brushed his finger across her cheek, "And you…I care about you too, Anna."

She gave him a sincere smile, "I know."

* * *

It was about two in the morning when Hans handed Anna a warm fresh cup of coffee, "Thanks." She did a little stretch before curling up into a ball on the couch and taking a small sip.

Hans chuckled, "You look exactly like your sister when you do that."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" Hans sighed as he sat down, "Your sister is an incredible woman. She drives me crazy with every little thing she does, I just can't get enough of her."

Anna took another sip, "Crazy in a good way?"

"Absolutely…you know me, Anna. I love crazy."

Anna giggled, "Yes, you have to love crazy to be a part of our family. Speaking of family…"

Hans began to take a sip of coffee, "Hmm?"

Anna gave him a cheeky smile, "You and Elsa ever thought about having kids?"

Hans spit out the coffee and began coughing, "Anna, that's…personal."

Anna laughed, "So you _have _thought about it, I can tell by your reaction. Oh, and by the way…you're blushing."

Hans gave her a mischievous smirk, "I bet I could make you blush if I told you-"

"Shh! Did you hear that?"

They remained quiet for a little bit, until Hans whispered, "Hear what?"

Anna stood up and hurried over to the bed, "I think Eugene's finally coming around…" Anna stood by the bed and watched as Eugene's breathing became rapid and he began to clench his jaw.

Hans walked over and stood beside her, "Is this normal behavior prior to coming out of a serious concussion? He looks like he's suffering a lot of pain."

Anna began to dab his Eugene's forehead and tried to keep his temperature down, "I don't know…he could be experiencing flashbacks of the events leading up to the explosion."

Suddenly, Eugene went completely still. Anna and Hans intently watched him before Hans leaned down and checked his pulse, "I think we lost him."

"What?!"

"I don't feel a pulse."

"No, no, no…no one is dying on my watch!" Anna tilted his chin up and began the same mouth-to-mouth she gave Kristoff a few hours earlier.

Hans's eye widened by her actions, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to bring him back…I did it once tonight…I can do it again…get Kristoff!"

Hans ran out of the room and in less than a minute, both he and Kristoff returned. Kristoff's eyes also widened when he saw Anna doing the mouth-to-mouth, "What's happened?"

But before anyone could answer, Eugene's eyes popped open and he began coughing and gasping for air. Hans and Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief, as Anna collapsed against the wall, out of breath, "I'm…two for two…tonight…woohoo…"

Eugene's eyes wildly looked around, "W-what…happened? W-where…am…I?"

Anna began to dab his forehead again and tried to speak in a calm manner, "Eugene, you're at the house where Hans and Elsa have been staying, just outside of London. You've been unconscious for several hours, now…how are you feeling?"

Eugene took in a sharp breath, "Everything hurts…my throat, my head, my chest, my back." He looked down and noticed his upper body was completely wrapped up, "Who took off my shirt?"

Anna pointed at Kristoff, "He did."

Kristoff pointed right back at Anna, "She told me to."

Eugene looked around the room with a frown, "Where's Rapunzel?"

Anna glanced at Kristoff and Hans, "Eugene, you need to get some rest…you've been through a lot today."

The events of the evening came flooding back Eugene, "The ball, the mystery man, Miss Ludder, the bomb…Rapunzel!" He tried to get up, "Where is she?! I need to see her!"

Hans gently held him down, "Eugene, you can't see her at this time."

Eugene continued to struggle, "Why?! What's happened to her?! Is she alright?!" When no one answered him, he stopped fighting, "She's not dead…is she?"

Anna took hold of his hand, "Eugene, we don't know where she is."

Eugene rubbed his head, "What do you mean?"

Hans ran his hand through his disheveled red hair, "I searched for her, Eugene, but I couldn't find Rapunzel anywhere. And when I found you underneath the debris in the ballroom, the whole ceiling was about to collapse on us. We're lucky to have gotten out alive, ourselves."

Eugene solemnly nodded, "And Elsa?"

Hans cleared his throat, "She's missing as well."

Eugene slowly fell back into his pillow and sighed, "What a horrible night this has been…" He looked back and forth between Anna and Hans, "How are you two doing?"

Hans tiredly sat on the bed, "I've been better."

Anna sighed, "Much better."

Eugene put a hand on Hans's shoulder and gave it a little pat, "Thank you, Hans for pulling me out of there. You saved my life."

"Don't just thank me…" He nodded towards the princess, "Anna, here, did some kiss of life thing to bring you back just a few minutes ago. She's been taking really good care of you since we got here."

Eugene gave Anna's hand a gentle kiss, "Thank you, Anna."

Anna slightly blushed, "It's no problem at all." She wobbled on her feet as the exhaustion began to finally hit her, "Kristoff, do you think you could stay with Eugene for a little bit. I think I need some fresh air."

"Sure…" He grabbed her hand when she walked by, "Are you feeling okay?"

She gave him a weak smile, "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine."

Hans stood up and gave her a concerned look, "Do you need some company?"

Kristoff threw him a hard look, "I think she wants to be alone."

Hans gave Anna a questioning look, "Do you?"

Anna looked back and forth between Kristoff and Hans, "Just…give me a few minutes. But if something should happen-"

Kristoff gave her hand a squeeze, "I'll give you a holler."

Anna walked out of the room and trotted down the stairs, making her way out the back door. As soon as she walked outside, she saw a ring of trees surrounding a pond and ran right towards it. When she reached the pond, she collapsed beside it and looked at her reflection in the water. But she was surprised with what she saw. She was always told that she looked like her sister, but Anna never really saw it until this one moment. Seeing her sister's resemblance was the final straw that broke her, "Elsa…please, I know you're out there…people are wondering where you are…they say to stay strong, and I'm trying to, I wanna be just like you. Please help me out. I'm just so scared without you…I'm falling apart. What am I gonna do? I wish we could build a snowman…" Anna splashed at her reflection and began to sob in her hands, slowly letting the exhaustion overtake her.

* * *

"_Anna?"_

_Anna looked around in the vast darkness, "Who's there?"_

"_Anna it's me…"_

_The familiar voice clicked, "Elsa?!"_

"_Listen, I need your help."_

"_Elsa, where are you?"_

"_I don't know…"_

"_Are you okay?"_

"_I don't know…"_

"_What do you know?"_

"_I know I'm in trouble, and I need your help."_

"_I'm here for you, Elsa. Whatever you need, I'll do it."_

"_Go back to the ballroom."_

"_The ballroom? But it's completely destroyed."_

"_Go back to the ballroom and take a second look around…things aren't always as they seem."_

"_What am I looking for?" She waited for a reply, but one never came, "Elsa?"_

_Another voice came out of nowhere, "Anna."_

"_Who's that?"_

"_Anna…wake up."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Anna."_

Anna's eyes fluttered open and she gazed up into a familiar face, "Hans?"

He was gently shaking her shoulder with a concerned look, "Anna, are you alright? You were out for hours."

"Yeah…" She slowly sat up and yawned, "I must've fallen asleep. What time is it?"

"Almost six in the morning."

Anna scratched her head, and let her hair down, parts of which stuck up in random places. She leaned back against a tree and thought about her dream, "Hans, what was it like?"

"Pardon?"

"After the explosion, when you woke up in the burning ballroom, what was it like?"

Hans sat beside Anna and leaned back against the tree, "The air felt very thin, yet thick with smoke, and it was so hot in there because of the flames. Everything was spinning and my senses were all messed up, I felt so groggy." He sighed as he rubbed his forehead, "My mind was racing and my heart was beating a million miles per second. And then I saw the strangest thing."

"What?"

"Well, the wall farthest away from me was engulfed with flames for obvious reasons, but the wall that I was lying next to was covered in melting ice."

"Ice?!"

"Yeah, that's when I realized Elsa was missing."

"Do you think the ice is still there?"

"I doubt it, but who knows…" He looked over at her and could practically see the wheels turning in her head, "What are you thinking, Anna?"

"I'm thinking that we should go back to the ballroom and take a second look around."

"Look for what?"

"A clue…" Anna looked at him with a determined expression, "Elsa's not dead, but she is in trouble." She stood up and brushed herself off, "And I'm going to find her."


	9. Chapter 9

**************Hi! I'm still here! I'm so sorry for being M.I.A. for so long! Life just has a way of going by too fast and getting away from you. I've been working on this chapter little by little everyday and yet, it took forever to complete for some reason. But enough about that...I'm so grateful that you guys are still into this story and are anxious to find out what happens next. Please continue to review, because I get kind of nervous that you guys are losing interest when I don't get any feedback from my readers. Please enjoy this next chapter and Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 9: Discovery**

Anna burst into Eugene's room to find both him and Kristoff in the middle of what seemed to be a deep conversation, "I'm sorry am I interrupting something?"

Eugene regarded her with a kind smile, "Not at all. What's going on, Anna?"

Anna straightened her shoulders, "I'm going back to the palace."

Eugene's smile quickly disappeared, "Hold on, you're going _back_? What are you thinking?"

"Elsa's not dead, but she is in trouble and I'm going back to the palace in search of clues to find out what happened to her…and perhaps that will also shed some light on Rapunzel's whereabouts too."

Eugene sat up and swung his legs off the bed, "Well, then I'm coming with you."

Kristoff stood up and stretched, "Me too."

Anna firmly placed her hands on her hips, "Now, wait just one second. Eugene, you're incredibly injured, and, Kristoff, I wanted you to stay and watch him."

Kristoff shook his head, "I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"I'm not going by myself, Hans is coming with me."

Kristoff scoffed, "Yeah, that's not happening." He looked over at the Corona prince, "You're good to go, right, Eugene?"

"Sure, I've had worse injuries in my lifetime." He carefully stood up, "When are we leaving?"

Anna narrowed her eyes, "_We_ are not going anywhere. Hans and I are going to return the doctor's horse and buggy, and then we're going to swing by the palace and explore the damage."

Eugene nodded as he slowly walked to the foot of his bed, "Sounds good…can we swing by someplace and pick up something to eat? I'm starving."

"Didn't you just hear what I said?"

Kristoff smirked, "Yes, and we've elected to ignore it."

Anna glared at him, "Excuse me?"

Eugene walked up to Anna with a serious look, "Anna, my wife is out there, and I'm not just going to sit around and wait for something to happen…I'm going with you and that's final."

Kristoff crossed his arms, "And so am I."

Anna threw her hands in the air, "Fine! Do whatever you want!"

She stormed out of the room and stomped down the stairs, where Hans was waiting for her in the living room, "Anna, what's wrong?"

Anna strode right by him, "Men!"

* * *

In twenty minutes, the group of four had finally entered the city of London, but the streets of the quaint sophisticated town they once knew were practically barren of civilians and full of police officers on patrol. Anna shuddered at the quiet eeriness, "This is really creepy. It looks like an abandoned ghost town…with law enforcement." When Kristoff let out a little chuckle, Anna turned around and shot him a look, "Shut it, Bjorgman."

Eugene and Hans had to bite their own tongues to keep from letting out a chuckle themselves. When they approached the doctor's office, Anna dismounted her horse, "I'll let the doctor know that we've returned his horse and buggy."

The men waited outside for five minutes before Anna skipped out the door. Eugene smirked, "Well, you seem to be in a better mood."

Anna smiled as she skipped up to her horse and rubbed its head, "Christopher said we could leave his horse and buggy out here and he'll send an assistant out to deal with it."

Hans raised an eyebrow, "Christopher?"

"Yes, the doctor's name is Christopher. He's impressively young and extremely smart. He graduated early from medical school and he was even first in his class."

Eugene chuckled, "He sounds dreamy."

"He even asked me if I wanted to grab a coffee with him sometime."

"You said 'no' right?" Everyone turned towards Kristoff and looked at his panicked expression, "I-I mean, what did you say?"

Anna nonchalantly shrugged, "I told him that I'd think about it. Now, who's hungry?" Hans and Eugene quickly raised their hand as Anna laughed, "The usual café, I assume?"

Eugene chuckled as he dismounted his horse, "Where else would we go?"

* * *

Juliette sighed as she leaned back against the kitchen counter, "Hannah, what are we doing here?"

"You are doing nothing, I am chopping lettuce."

"No one will be coming in today…we should just leave early."

Hannah scoffed, "Trust me, I would love nothing more than to get out of here and take a good look at the damaged ballroom before those nitwit cops mess up the evidence."

Juliette raised a curious eyebrow, "Uh-oh, if you're interested zat means you zink VORTEX had somezing to do wiz it."

"I'm willing to bet my entire reputation on the fact that they were behind this disaster. The real question is…what's their next target?"

Juliette glanced out the kitchen window and caught a glimpse of Anna and the three guys being led into the dining room. She walked closer to the window and pressed her nose against the glass, observing the cuts and scrapes on Hans and Eugene's face, "More like _who_ is zeir next target."

Hannah put the knife down, "Pardon?"

Juliette turned around to face her friend, "Remember zat group wiz ze young lady zat loved chocolate?"

"Anna, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kristoff…I remember, why?"

"Zey are back and zey do not look well. Elsa and Rapunzel seem to be missing and zeir husbands look a little, how you say, 'roughed up'."

"Elsa?"

Juliette pointed to the window, "Anna's sister who is married to ze handsome redhead. What was his name, again?"

Hannah walked over to the kitchen window and gasped as she looked into the dining room, "Hans?!"

"Oui, Hans! How did you know?"

Hannah's face paled as she hesitated, "…Because h-he's my son."

Juliette looked through the other kitchen window, "What?! Are you sure?!"

"A mother never forgets…you have a daughter, you understand."

"Oh, I see ze resemblance now." She turned and gave Hannah a funny look, "Wait a second, since when were you married?"

"There's a big part of my life you still don't know about, Juliette."

"…So are you going to serve zeir table or should I?"

* * *

The group of four sat at their usual table in the dining room, observing the emptiness of the café before their waitress appeared, "Bonjour, everyone. It's nice to you all again."

Anna gave her a friendly smile, "Hello Juliette."

Juliette looked up from her notepad and took a good look at the injured guests, "Sacrebleu! Monsieur Eugene, Monsieur Hans, what happened? Were you in some sort of accident?"

Hans leaned back in his seat and sighed, "The explosion last night at the palace is what happened."

"Oui, it was terrible." Juliette furrowed her brow, "What were you doing at ze palace?"

The group of four looked at each other with uncomfortable expressions on their face until Eugene sighed and placed his elbows on the table, "Juliette, we were attending the royal ball because we're actually royalty. My real title is Prince Consort Eugene Fitzherbert and my wife is Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

Anna sheepishly grinned and waved at the waitress, "Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Kristoff leaned back in his chair with a nonchalant shrug, "I'm just Kristoff Bjorgman."

Hans ran a hand through his hair, "My wife's real title is Queen Elsa of Arendelle and I'm her King Consort, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

Juliette perked up when she heard that, "_Prince _Hans? So your mozer was ze Queen of ze Souzern Isles?"

"…Yes. But she died when I was eight."

"Interesting…so where is Queen Elsa and Princess Rapun-" Suddenly an explosion went off across the main square, causing the entire café to shake. Everyone got out of their seats and ran to the window, including Juliette, "Anozer bomb?! I don't believe it!"

Anna pointed to the large building that had smoke pouring out of the shattered windows, "What's over there, Juliette? What's that building?"

"Zat is ze Bank of England…it's supposed to be one of ze most secure buildings in London."

Another female voice came from behind, "Well, it _was _until now."

Anna turned around with an enthusiastic smile, "Hannah!"

Hannah let out a light laugh, "Hello, Anna."

Juliette cleared her throat, "_Princess _Anna, apparently zeir all royalty except for Kristoff…" She teasingly raised an eyebrow at her, "But I'm sure you already knew zat."

"Yes, I overheard your previous conversation at the table. So, Prince Eugene, you and Prince Hans were in the ballroom when the bomb went off last night?"

"That's correct."

"Did you happen see anything suspicious prior to the explosion?"

Hans crossed his arms, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Anna wrapped her hands around Hannah's arm, "This is Hannah, remember the waitress I told you about?" She looked up at her, "I wanted you to meet my sister, Elsa, but unfortunately she's missing."

Hans cleared his throat, "Anna, should we telling people about this?"

Hannah laughed, "I'm sorry, I don't think I fully introduced myself…waiting tables is what I do for a steady income, but I am also a skilled private investigator on the side."

Juliette sat down at a large table, "And she's one of ze best in London too. Missing crown jewels? She's found zem. Crazy serial killer? She's locked zem up."

Hannah walked over to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder, "And Juliette here used to be my personal M.E…until she 'retired' a few years ago."

Anna furrowed her brow, "M.E?"

Juliette smirked, "Medical examiner."

Hannah sat down and gestured that everyone else join her, "When we were hired to work the missing crown jewels case, Juliette was the one who discovered that our dead body actually ingested some of the jewels prior to his death."

Anna wrinkled her nose, "Ew! He _ate _the jewels?! That's so gross!"

Kristoff admiringly looked over at Juliette, "So why did you retire? You're still very young."

"When you're in zat line of work, it is very hard to have a successful personal life. I fell in love wiz a doctor, which was great because for a while he helped Hannah and I work cases…eventually we got married and about a year later we had a baby girl. Unfortunately, I never realized how dangerous our jobs were until one of our past cases caught up wiz us and my husband disappeared. Zen anozer year passed before we finally found his body. Since zen I've decided to stop making new enemies and start being a good mozer, and so I hung up my blood covered apron and put on a food covered one, instead."

Anna reached across the table and held her hand, "I'm so sorry to hear that. What's your daughter's name? How old is she now?"

"Her name is Diana and she is five years old." Juliette abruptly stood up, "I'm sorry, zis is not about me. Let me go get you some drinks, on ze house."

Everyone quietly watched Juliette quickly make her way to the kitchen, before Hannah cleared her throat, "So, Anna, you said something about your sister missing?"

* * *

A good hour had passed while Hans and Eugene both told their sides of the story of what led up to the explosion, and occasionally watched the law enforcement and fire department deal with the situation across the main square. Hannah had reassured everyone right away that nobody could have been inside the bank when the explosion went off because it was still rather early, and the bank wasn't open yet. Finally, Anna rounded off the conversation with the dream she had about Elsa needing her to go back into the ballroom, "She said to take a second look around and that things aren't always as they seem. So I need to get back into that ballroom and look for some clue that will tell us where she and maybe Rapunzel are being held."

Hannah leaned forward on the table with interest, "So you know for a fact that she was kidnapped?"

Anna bit her lip, "Not exactly…but look, if my sister tells me to do something, especially in dream form, I'm going to do it."

Hannah understandably nodded, "Alright, I'm in. But I'm going to need my personal M.E."

Juliette was so surprised that she almost spilled coffee on herself, "What? No! Hannah, I'm not getting into anymore of zis stuff! Nuh-uh, leave me out of it. Besides, if what Anna says is true, zen zere will be no bodies for me to examine."

"Unless, we find bodies and we need you to prove that they're not Elsa or Rapunzel."

"Je ne peux pas croire que vous me mettre dans une situation comme celle-ci!"

Hannah retorted something back at Juliette in rapid French and the group of foreigners watched as they continued to argue in the unfamiliar language. Finally, Hans stepped forward and cleared his throat, "Excusez-moi. S'il vous plait, Juliette, nous avons besoin de votre aide."

Both Hannah and Juliette regarded him with surprise and a little embarrassment that he could understand them. Juliette sighed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "Oui, I'll help but just zis once…after zat, no more."

Hannah placed her hand on Juliette's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze, "Thank you, Juliette."

Anna bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, "So what are we waiting for, let's go!"

As everyone shuffled to the door, Hannah sidled up to Hans, "So how did you learn to speak French so well?"

"My mother always encouraged me and my brothers to learn at least one language other than our native tongue. I chose French because that was the language near and dear to her heart."

Hannah smiled to herself, "I'm sure she would have been very proud of you. I heard you tell Juliette that she died when you were eight…I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"Thanks…" He lowered his voice, "So since you're a detective of some sort, could you help me with something?"

Hannah smirked, "No guarantees but I'll listen to what you have to say."

"When my mother died, my father led me to believe that someone had poisoned her drink. That's what made her fall ill and, in a matter of hours, killed her…but now I know the truth."

She slightly hesitated, "You do?"

"That someone who poisoned her _was_ my father. He killed her so he could use me to do his dirty work."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly, "So what do you want me to do?"

"I want to serve him the justice he deserves, but I can't do that without the right evidence. That's where you come in."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" She began to walk a little faster and tried to seem as nonchalant as possible, "I mean it was sixteen years ago, there's probably not much evidence left to gather. I think we should focus on the task at hand here with Elsa and Rapunzel." Hans stopped walking and stared after her while she sidled up to Eugene.

Eugene smirked when he noticed her presence, "Quick question, won't your employer be upset with you and Juliette ditching your day jobs?"

Hannah lightly laughed, "Eugene, I think we can both agree that business wasn't exactly booming."

* * *

Hans slowly led the group down the hallway towards the ballroom, not wanting to attract a whole lot of attention. It was bad enough that he was going to relive the horrid nightmare he went through only hours ago, but now he was also leading five other people to the same place. The palace was eerily quiet as their footsteps seemed to echo off the wall, louder than normal. Soon, they were almost at the ballroom door, or what was left of it, when a familiar man and woman walked out and greeted the group with a surprised look. The woman, who wore a simple navy blue dress with a tight black belt around her slim waist, widened her silvery blue eyes, "Prince Eugene! Prince Hans! You're both alive!"

Eugene gave the woman a polite smile, "I'm glad to hear that you were concerned about us, Miss Ludder."

Hans smile was less than friendly, "What are you doing here?"

Scarlett tossed a lock of dark red-brownish hair over her shoulder, "As a journalist, it's my job to interview the palace staff about what occurred last night. And naturally, Mister Sullivan would be the first person to interview. Is that okay with you, Prince Hans?"

"That's fine with me as long as you're on your way out."

"Don't worry handsome, I'll stay out of your hair." She dropped her haughty smirk, "Prince Eugene, could I have a word with you?"

As everyone watched Scarlett and Eugene walked further down the hallway and around the corner, Thomas cleared his throat and looked at the rest of the group, "Well, I didn't expect to see any visitors here after last night's incident. I thought you all went back to your kingdoms like the other guests."

Anna crossed her arms, "I'm not going back to Arendelle without my sister, Mister Sullivan."

Thomas gave her a tight smile, "Good on you, Princess Anna."

* * *

As soon as Eugene and Scarlett turned the corner, she grabbed his forearm and led him into a small room, swiftly locking the door behind her, "Listen, you didn't tell anyone about the bomb belonging to VORTEX, did you?"

"No…no, I don't think so. Why?"

"Let's just say that this was an inside job and no one can be trusted."

Eugene crossed his arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow, "So why can I trust you?"

Scarlett placed her hands on her hips, "Because we're the only two people who have knowledge of the bomb's origins, other than the person who planted it."

"The redhead with glasses?"

"Most likely the culprit…but just to be sure, I've kept the VORTEX information to myself and you should do the same."

"I'll keep myself in check, thank you. Did you hear the explosion at the bank?"

She smirked, "Where do you think I'm headed next?"

Eugene chuckled as he reached around her and took hold of the doorknob, "I'd better go."

She lightly rested her hand on his forearm and gave him a sincere look, "Good luck in finding your wife, Eugene…I really do hope everything works out for you and the rest of your family as well."

Eugene and Scarlett approached the group that looked rather uncomfortable with the presence of Thomas, making Eugene chuckle, "Is everything okay over here?"

Anna gave him a tight smile, "Oh, yeah everything's peachy…"

Scarlett linked arms with the advisor, "Thomas, I do think I am in need of a drink…"

He gave her a smirk, "Right this way, Miss Scarlett…good day everyone."

Once they were out of sight, Kristoff looked at Eugene, "So what was that all about?"

"Just keeping each other in check, is all. Let's take a look at the ballroom."

Everyone slowly gathered in the destroyed ballroom and quietly scanned the damaged room. Hannah turned around and noticed small ice patterns on the wall beside them, "Is this ice?"

Hans nodded, "My wife is called the Snow Queen for a reason."

Hannah's eyes widened, "She did this? Wow…Hans, where were you two when the bomb went off?"

"I was here and Elsa was in front of me, probably about here."

"Mhmm…Anna you're going to be Elsa and Hans you're going to be you. Now, I want to see a reenactment of the events leading up to the explosion."

Hans offered his hand to Anna, who smiled slightly as she gently placed her hand in his, "I grabbed Elsa's hand and we began to run in this direction." He slowly walked through the rubble and then abruptly stopped, "The bomb went off when I was standing here. And Elsa was right about here." He led Anna to a spot a few inches directly in front of him and closed his eyes, reliving the horrid scene. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and took several steps forward, gently nudging Anna along with him, "I was knocked unconscious by the blast and when I awoke, I was lying here…and Elsa was gone."

Hannah leaned back against the wall and tilted her head to the left and right, "Roughly estimating here, but if Elsa was there, then she would have landed in the same general area as you, perhaps even under you." She walked over to where he and Anna were standing and knelt down. She began to remove some debris and nodded when she found what she was looking for, "Uh-huh. You can see the outline of your bodies from the ash residue. Anna come and lie down here. Hans, based off the outline, you _were _lying somewhat on top of her, like such." Kristoff rolled his eyes as Hannah placed Hans beside Anna and had his arm wrapped around her waist. Hannah observed the outline some more, "But she was moved…Kristoff, grab Anna's arms and drag her in this direction."

Kristoff smirked, "Gladly."

He pulled her along until Hannah told him to stop, "Okay, that matches pretty well to the outline but something happened." She knelt down again, this time by the doorway, "Juliette, come here. What do you see here?"

Juliette joined her on the floor and touched some half-dried gooey substance, "Zis is blood…but it's in a splattered design, projecting in zis direction. Which means…" She stood in Anna's place and formed her hand in a gun gesture, pretending to pull the trigger, "Zat Elsa was not only awake by ze time she was dragged over here, but she was ze one who inflicted ze damage."

Anna stood up and brushed herself off, "So you're saying that the blood we found on the floor and on Hans's head is not Elsa's?"

"Precisely."

Hans quickly stood up and walked over to where Anna was standing, "The only weapon Elsa could have used was her powers." He mimicked similar hand motions that he saw Elsa use when they faced the spies in the Sperca forest, "She must have pierced the attacker…but where is he now?"

Anna briefly looked around the room, "And where's Elsa?"

Hannah rubbed her forehead as she walked over to the ice covered wall and inspected the scene, "Once she stopped her attacker, she tried to put out the flames on this wall. You can see the extinguished flame marks here."

Hans looked at where his body outline was and how close the ice wall was to it, "She was trying to save me."

Hannah nodded, "And assuming that there was more than one attacker, Elsa could have been caught off guard and then taken away to who-knows-where."

Anna's eyes widened, "So she's still alive?"

"She was when she was kidnapped…" Hannah turned to Eugene, "Where were you and Rapunzel when the bomb went off?"

Eugene slowly made his way towards the middle of the room, "About here and Rapunzel was in my arms."

Juliette stood next to him and knelt to the floor, "What is zis?" She gently touched some burnt material wrapped around a beam.

Hans walked over to her, "Yeah that was my doing. The beam on top of Eugene was too hot for me to lift with my bare hands so I tied my jacket around it."

Kristoff grunted, "You mean _my_ jacket."

Hans rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly smiled, "Yes, sorry about that, Kristoff."

Hannah shook her head as she walked around the general area where Eugene stood, "This doesn't make sense. If Rapunzel was in your arms, she couldn't have gone far-" She froze when she heard a crunch, not far from where Eugene was standing. She slowly bent down and removed several pieces of debris until she saw a couple broken bones, "I think I found a body…"

Juliette ran over to her and helped remove the rest of the debris, "Eugene, can you come here please?"

Eugene ran over to them and looked at the burnt skeleton that lay before them, "Is that…?"

Juliette began to look over the bones, "How tall was she, Eugene?"

"Five foot three…"

Juliette sighed, "We have a young five foot zree female skeleton here."

Hannah put a hand on Eugene's shoulder, "That doesn't necessarily mean that this is Rapunzel."

Eugene looked at the body once more before he stood up and walked towards the doorway, "I need a minute." Anna began to walk after him but Hans grabbed her arm to stop her and shook his head, signaling to her that she should leave him be.

* * *

In the Fitzherbert's bedroom, a distraught prince sat hunched over in a chair, elbows on his knees and his face resting in his hands. He sighed as he took a long good look around his very quiet and princess-less bedroom.

"_Is everything okay?" _

"_Huh? Oh, yes, uh, huh. I just…I'm sorry, everything is fine. There's just something I have to check on."_

"_Okay. I'll be waiting right here for you."_

"_Great, I'll be right back."_

Eugene rubbed his eyes and stood up, "'I'll be right back'…that was the last thing I said to her…an unfulfilled promise. I shouldn't have left her side…it's my duty to make sure she's safe at all times. What am I going to tell the King and Queen?" He walked over to Rapunzel's luggage and took a deep breath before opening it up. Lying on top was her neatly folded robe she had been wearing before the ball, not even 24 hours ago. He picked it up and held it against his face, inhaling his wife's scent and letting it take him back to the wonderful memories they shared.

"_Struggling…struggling is pointless."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I know why you're here, and I'm not afraid of you."_

"_What?"_

"_Who are you? And how did you find me?"_

"_Aha."_

"_Who are you, and how did you find me?"_

"_Mm-hm. I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say…Hi. How ya doin'? The name's Flynn Rider. How's your day goin'? Huh?"_

"_Ugh! Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?"_

"_All right, Blondie-"_

"_Rapunzel."_

"_Gesundheit. Here's the deal. I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and…ho, oh no…where is my satchel?"_

"_I've hidden it, somewhere you'll never find it."_

"_It's in that pot, isn't it?"_

Eugene shook his head, "Not so fun at the time but it sure led to something spectacular…eventually."

"_Hmm-mm-m. You know, I can't help but notice you seem a little at war with yourself here."_

"_What?"_

"_Now, I'm only picking up bits and pieces, of course. Overprotective mother, forbidden road trip. I mean this is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure-that's good, healthy even!"_

"_You think?"_

"_I know. You're way over-thinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve it? No. Would this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course. But you just got to do it."_

"_Break her heart?"_

"_In half."_

"_Crush her soul?"_

"_Like a grape."_

"_She would be heartbroken, you're right."_

"_I am, aren't I? Oh bother. All right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal."_

"_What?"_

"_That's right. But don't thank me. Let's just turn around and get you home-here's your pan and your frog-I get back my satchel, you get back a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust and voila! We part as unlikely friends."_

"_No! I am seeing those lanterns-"_

"_Oh come on! What is it going to take to get my satchel back?"_

"_I will use this."_

…

"_This is all my fault. She was right, I never should have done this. I'm so…I'm so sorry, Flynn."_

"_Eugene."_

"_What?"_

"_My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. Someone might as well know."_

"_Hmm. I have magic hair that glows when I sing."_

"_What?"_

…

"_We made it."_

"_Her hair glows."_

"_I'm alive. I'm alive!"_

"_I didn't see that coming."_

"_Eugene."_

"_Her hair actually glows."_

"_Eugene."_

"_Why does her hair glow?"_

"_Eugene!"_

"_What?"_

"_It doesn't just glow."_

…

"_So you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand. Agh!"_

"_Sorry. Just don't…don't freak out. Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…Please don't freak out!"_

"_Arrr. I'm-not-freaking-out-are-you-freaking-out-no-I'm-just-very-interested-in-your-hair-and-the-magical-qualities-that-it-posessess-how-long-has-it-been-doing-that-exactly?"_

"_Uh, forever, I guess. Mother says when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But, once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why mother never let me…That's why I never left the…hmm."_

"…_You never left that tower. And you're still gonna go back?"_

"_No! Yes. Ugh! It's complicated. Hah. So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"_

"_Uh, yeah. Well, I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert, it's a little bit of a…that's a little bit of a downer. Huh. There was this book, a book I used to read every night to all the younger kids-'The Tales of Flynnigan Rider'. Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he would ever brag about it, of course."_

"_Hmm. Was he a thief too?"_

"_Uh…well, no. Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And, and for a kid with nothing, I don't know, I…just seemed like a better option."_

"_Hmm."_

"_You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation."_

"_Ah. We wouldn't want that."_

"_Well, a fake reputation is all a man has. Well, I should, um…I, I should…I should get some more firewood."_

"_Hey. For the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider."_

"_Well, then you'd be the first…but thank you."_

Eugene smiled as he picked up one of her dresses and ran his fingers through the silky material. When he pulled it out, a piece of pink material in the bottom of the luggage caught his eye and he reached towards it, "What is this?" He gasped when he pulled out a small yarn crochet pink blanket that was half way complete, instantly recognizing it to be a baby blanket, "Oh, Rapunzel." He leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor with the unfinished blanket in his hands.

"_Where are we going?"_

"_Well, best day of your life, I figured you should have a decent seat."_

"_Hmm."_

"_You okay?"_

"_I'm terrified."_

"_Why?"_

"_I've been looking out a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"_

"_It will be."_

"_And what if it is? What do I do then?"_

"_Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream."_

Eugene slid off his wedding band and looked at it for a long time, "You were my new dream."

* * *

Several minutes passed since Eugene left the room, before Anna wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the body, "They were finally going to have a baby too."

Juliette immediately stopped what she was doing and looked up at Anna, "Rapunzel was pregnant?" Anna silently nodded as Juliette stood up, "How many months?"

Anna shrugged, "I don't know I just found out a couple of days ago that she was pregnant, but she didn't get into the details."

Kristoff cleared his throat, "They found out about the pregnancy two weeks ago, give or take a day."

Anna looked at him in surprise, "How did you know that?"

"Eugene and I had a long time to talk about things when you and Hans left him in my care."

Juliette began to pace a little, "Do you know if she was experiencing any sort of side effects?"

Kristoff focused his attention back to Juliette, "Eugene mentioned something about morning sickness."

Juliette nodded with a slight smile, "Zat's a good start…morning sickness normally begins around week six of ze pregnancy, but by week five, ze baby's skeleton is beginning to form." She knelt back down and closely examined the pelvic area of the body, "And as far as I can see…zere is no sign of a baby skeleton. Zis woman could not have been pregnant."

Anna excitedly gasped, "So this isn't Rapunzel?!"

"Most likely not…but I am going to run some tests on ze body to confirm my suspicions, anyways."

Anna let out a sigh of relief, "Someone needs to go tell Eugene the good news."

Kristoff crossed his arms, "I wouldn't say it's that good of news because if this isn't Rapunzel, then where is she?"

Hans frowned as he looked at the body, "And who is this?"

Anna began to walk out of the room, "Well, I'm still going to tell Eugene about the recent discovery."

Hannah pursed her lips, "Kristoff, go with Anna. If someone was able to plant a bomb in here, then the palace isn't as secured as one would think."

Kristoff ran after Anna and finally caught up to her when she was halfway down the first hallway, "You certainly walk fast."

Anna continued to keep up her brisk pace, "I tend to walk faster when I'm going to deliver good news…sorry, I forgot that discovering my cousin hasn't been burned to a crisp, isn't considered good news to you."

"Okay, that's it." Kristoff grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, "What's gotten into you?"

Anna yanked her arm out of his grasp, "Excuse me? I am not the problem here!"

Kristoff slapped his forehead, "Oh, let me guess, somehow this is my fault. I did something wrong, again."

Anna rolled her eyes and turned to leave, "I don't have time for this."

"Anna…" Kristoff gently grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye, "Does our relationship mean anything to you?"

Her eyebrow's shot up and her mouth opened slightly, "Of course, it does."

"Then why do I feel like it's always an afterthought to you?"

Anna took a step back and looked away, "That's not true." She sighed and looked up at him, "Ever since Elsa scolded us about coming here, you've been extremely distant from me. Did Elsa say something that scared you away from me?"

Kristoff swallowed, "No…but I've been thinking about something Elsa said."

"What's that?"

"You're not ready to have a serious relationship…"

"What?"

He stepped closer to her and held both of her hands, "And she was right. I shouldn't have gotten into a serious relationship with you so soon after the Great Thaw. I should have understood that after what happened with Hans, mixed with the excitement of opening the gates, you were emotionally unstable and you needed personal time to do what you wanted. You just finally got the freedom you've been dreaming of and I don't want it to seem like I'm keeping you from doing what you want in life."

"So are you saying that we're done?"

He cupped her cheek with his hand, "I'm saying that I want you to live your life as the adventurous independent woman you are. And when you're ready to settle down with someone who loves you, you come find me."

Anna nodded as he kissed her forehead and they continued their walk. Anna let out a little sniffle, "What does this mean for you?"

"I'll move out of the castle and go back to living with Sven and my troll family."

Anna looked up at him with a side glance, "So I won't see you anymore?"

"I'll be in the castle once in a while since I'm the royal ice harvester and deliverer." He caught her looking at him and smirked, "Are you going to miss me?"

"Eh, I'm going to miss Sven more." Anna gently nudged him with her shoulder, "Of course I'll miss you, you big lug."

"They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder."

After a minute of silence, Anna quietly spoke up, "Kristoff?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I've been a little spoiled brat ever since we got the letter."

"Anna-"

She raised her hand, just like her sister does when silencing someone, "Please, let me finish…I've been treating you poorly as if you were just some servant accompanying me on this trip, and I don't even treat my staff half as bad as I've been treating you." She stopped walking and looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Then everything started falling apart, and you've been nothing but kind and supportive and…and…" As the tears began to spill down her cheeks, Kristoff wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. When Anna finally began to calm down, she looked up at him again, "When I first met you, I never realized how much you would end up meaning to me."

Kristoff gave her a kind smile, "True love isn't found. It's built…one day, one kiss, one conversation at a time. I love you Anna…and one day, I'll marry you."

Anna couldn't help but blush at Kristoff's boldness, "I seriously wouldn't mind if you just grabbed my face and kissed me…that'd be great."

Kristoff swiftly leaned forward and did just that. His lips hungrily met Anna's and he could feel her petite arms wrap around his neck, pressing her small body against his much larger one. When they finally had to come up for air, Kristoff smirked, "So much for taking a break from each other."

Anna kept her arms around his neck, "I think you had intended for that to begin once we returned to Arendelle."

Kristoff chuckled as he gently removed her arms, "Nevertheless, we have to go tell Eugene the good news." He held out his hand to Anna, "Milady?"

Anna giggled as she grabbed his hand and began to drag him down the hallway at a sprint, "Come on!"

* * *

Eugene stood before his open luggage and wrapped the incomplete baby blanket around his wedding band and placed it on top of his clothes before closing the luggage. He was about to close Rapunzel's luggage when he heard rapid knocking at the door and hurried to see who it was. Upon opening the door, he was nearly tackled to the ground by an over exuberant redhead, "Eugene! Eugene! Guess what?!" Anna let go of him for a split second, "Rapunzel's not dead! The crispy skeleton in the ballroom is not your wife!"

Eugene blinked several times and looked at Kristoff who was still standing by the doorway, "That wasn't Rapunzel?"

Kristoff smirked, "When Juliette found out that Rapunzel was pregnant, she was able to confirm that the young lady in the ballroom showed no sign of pregnancy, therefore she couldn't have been your wife."

Eugene excitedly returned Anna's hug and spun her around, "Rapunzel's alive! She's still alive!" His smiled faltered slightly, "But if that wasn't Rapunzel…then where is she?"

* * *

The air was damp and slightly musky, while the sound of dripping water could be heard from a short distance and continued to echo off the cold stone walls. Consciousness came and went like waves crashing onto its shores before slowly rolling back into the vast ocean. A pounding sensation could be felt as vision blurred into a single clear picture, one of darkness and black stone. Elsa slowly rolled her head to her left and saw a dark figure resting on the other side of the room. She tried to call out to it, but her throat was so parched and raw that her voice came out as a raspy breath of air. She swallowed, licked her lips, and cleared her throat, "Hello? Who's there?"

The figure shifted slightly and let out a little moan, "Elsa? Is that you?"

Elsa slowly sat, realizing how sore her body was while also recognizing the voice, "Rapunzel?"

The figure rolled over so that it was still lying down but this time it was facing her, revealing a pretty young face with bright green eyes and short ruffled brown hair, "Elsa, it is you!"

"Rapunzel!" Elsa smiled and tried to run over to her but was stopped after a few short steps. She looked down and noticed that iron cuffs were locked around her wrists, "What on earth?"

Rapunzel closed her eyes and moaned again, "Where's Eugene?"

Elsa looked over at her cousin, who was still lying in the shadows, "Rapunzel, are you okay?"

She let out a long sigh, "I'll be okay as soon as I have my medicine…"

"Medicine?"

"I have to take medicine every morning to help me during my pregnancy or else I could fall seriously ill like my mother did when she was pregnant with me."

Elsa realized that something was wrong when Rapunzel wouldn't sit up from where she was laying, "You don't know where you are, do you?"

"Are we not in the palace?"

Elsa desperately tried to get a good look at her cousin, "Rapunzel, look at us…we're chained up like prisoners, we're in some dark room with no windows, and-"

A gruff masculine voice came out of nowhere, "Well, well, well…look who we have here. It would seem that my pretty little packages have finally arrived."


	10. Chapter 10

**************Woohoo! Finally the next chapter! Just to let you know, this chapter I one of the longest I have ever written. Thanks for the reviews everyone, they mean a lot to me! Please keep reviewing and enjoy the next chapter! Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 10: Revelation**

Elsa's body tensed up as her eyes darted around the dark room, "Excuse me? We are not 'your little packages', whatever that's supposed to mean. Who are you anyways?"

"Patience, Your Majesty, all your questions will be answered in due time."

"I demand you show yourself, immediately!"

"Oh, how foolish of you to demand such things…you see, you're in no place to tell _me_ what to do."

Elsa let out an exasperated sigh, "If you refuse to reveal yourself, can you at least have the decency to send someone to check on my cousin here? She's not feeling well, and she needs her medication."

The voice fell silent for a little bit, "Cousin?"

"Yes…do you not know who we are?"

"Where's Princess Anna?"

"She's on her way back to Arendelle as we speak."

The voice hesitated slightly, "Who's you cousin?"

Rapunzel faintly spoke up, "My name is Rapunzel…Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

The gruff voice seemed to soften at the discovery of Rapunzel's identity, "The lost princess…I remember hearing about that. I'll send someone to check on you, Princess." Footsteps echoed off the walls as the man walked away.

Once everything fell silent, Elsa looked over at her cousin's still form, "That was strange…he seemed way too interested in my sister."

Rapunzel let out a long sigh, "I'm glad that Anna and Kristoff are far away from here."

* * *

"Okay, so what do we have so far?" It was about four thirty in the evening and everyone was gathered around a large table in Le Jardin once again, discussing the evidence they found at the palace. While everyone was seated, Anna was standing at the head of the table determined to find her sister and cousin as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Hans leaned back in his chair, "Well, we know that they were kidnapped, despite the attempt to throw us off in thinking that Rapunzel was dead."

Eugene slowly sipped his drink, "Which makes it seem like the explosion wasn't an act of terrorism, it was a cover-up for the kidnapping."

Hannah furrowed her brow, "Well, how could the kidnappers guarantee that you four would be the last and only ones in the room?"

Eugene suddenly put his drink down, "Rapunzel was unconscious before the explosion…perhaps that had something to do with it? Hans, you were there…what happened?"

"While Elsa and I were conversing with all the nosy dignitaries and party guests, we heard a scream from the snack table area. We turned to see what the commotion was all about and there, on the floor, lay an unconscious Rapunzel. Elsa and I hurried over to her and about thirty seconds later, you and Miss Ludder burst into the room telling everyone to evacuate. And well, you know the rest, Eugene."

Juliette leaned onto the table with interest, "It would sound like Rapunzel ingested somezing zat knocked her out. Perhaps ze food she ate was laced wiz somezing?"

Hannah nodded, "That's a possibility…but how come Elsa wasn't drugged? If the kidnappers wanted to take both of them, you'd think that they would do the same to Elsa."

Hans suddenly sat up, "They did, or at least, they tried. When I joined Elsa and her large group of admirers, she held a glass of champagne that some other man had supposedly given to her…that drink was probably laced with the same drug Rapunzel took but I swapped Elsa's drink at the last minute."

Hannah nodded, "Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Both targets were supposed to be drugged by drinks, but Rapunzel didn't take any champagne for obvious reasons and you swapped Elsa's. So they resorted to plan B…the food. Guaranteeing that at least one target would be drugged. Did anyone seem adamant to serve Elsa and Rapunzel food or drinks?"

Hans and Eugene looked at each other briefly, before Hans furrowed his brow, "That snake, Miss Ludder, was pretty adamant in serving Eugene and Rapunzel drinks shortly after just meeting them."

Eugene scoffed, "Scarlett had nothing to do with it. She was with me when we discovered the bomb."

Hans narrowed his eyes, "Don't you think it was quite the coincidence that you ran into her in the hallway? She's not a palace guest…she had no reason to be out of the ballroom. She's probably been playing you this entire time so that when we did discover it was her, you'd try to support her and declare her innocence."

Eugene spoke slowly, with a hint of anger in his voice, "She's not like you, Hans…she's not as conniving as you were in Arendelle."

Hans angrily stood up, knocking the chair backwards, "Oh, that's rich! Bring up my horrid past and use it against me! Well, _Flynn Rider_, you were just as much as a criminal as I once was so cut the nonsense."

"Enough!" Everyone looked at Hannah who was sitting rather regally at her end of the table, "If you two decide to turn on each other then we'll never find Elsa and Rapunzel."

Juliette sheepishly stood up, "Excusez-moi, but I need to go pick up my daughter from the sitter. Anyone care to join me?"

Anna quickly stood up, "I will!"

Kristoff did the same, "Me too."

Anna placed her hand on his forearm, "Kristoff, you need to stay here in case these two decide to lash out."

Kristoff pouted and hesitantly sat down, "…Fine."

Anna quickly kissed the top of his head and then hurried after Juliette who was already walking out of the door.

* * *

After Juliette and Anna's hurried out of the drama in the café, the two quietly made their way through town, carrying a somewhat awkward tension between the two of them. Anna nervously bit her lip, "That was an interesting argument to say the least."

"Oui…" Juliette curiously looked over at Anna, "What has Hans told you about his mozer?"

Anna nonchalantly shrugged, "He's doesn't like to talk about his past too much, but as far as I know, he loved her very much and was completely destroyed when she died."

There was another few seconds of silence before Juliette looked at Anna again, "What if she didn't die?"

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"What if someone faked her deaz and sent her away instead?"

Anna wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "I don't think so…that's a little bit of a stretch. What brought on this sudden interest in Hans's past anyways?"

Juliette shrugged, "Nozing…it's just curiosity getting ze best of me."

"Oh…" Anna looked up and realized that they were at the same building that held Christopher's office, "So where are we headed?"

Juliette opened the door for Anna, "Doctor Christopher Bello's office."

As the two of them ascended the staircase, Anna curiously looked at Juliette, "I thought we were going to go pick up your daughter."

Juliette smiled as they approached his door, "…We are."

They entered to see the receptionist at the front desk, finishing up some forms from the day's work. She smiled upon seeing the two girls entering the room, "Good evening, Juliette…who's your friend?"

"Bonjour, Eileen. Zis is Princess Anna of Arendelle. She's visiting London along wiz ze rest of her family."

The woman stood up and bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you Princess."

Anna politely bowed her head, "Thank you…so where's Diana?"

The woman sat down with a smile, "Doctor Bello is playing with her in the daycare center. Would you like me to let him know that you're here?"

Juliette began to walk to the door, "No, no…we'll just go back and let ourselves in. Zank you, Eileen."

The two girls walked through the door and down a small hallway, stopping at a door with a window. The two looked in to see Doctor Bello and Diana both sitting at a small table in the middle of the room with other stuffed animals around the table with them. Anna giggled upon seeing the adorably funny sight, "Are they having a tea party?"

Juliette continued looking through the window with a smile, "Zey have a tea party every Saturday…it's tradition. Last week, I caught ze doctor actually wearing a tiara and glittery hair accessories."

Anna laughed, "He a really nice guy isn't he?"

Juliette nodded with a smile, "He's an absolute sweetheart. After ze passing of my husband, he offered his services to help watch Diana while I worked."

"Isn't he busy with, you know, doctor stuff?"

"Yes, zat's why Eileen helps him during ze day."

Anna looked at the expression on Juliette's face and broke into a wide grin, "You like him, don't you?"

"Pardon?"

"You've got a thing for the doctor…not that I blame you. He is very handsome, and smart, and kind, and thoughtful, and caring."

"Oui…" Juliette dropped her head, "But he deserves better zan me."

"What on earth are you talking about? You're wonderful."

She looked at Anna and gave her a sad smile, "Oh, Princess, I am nozing more zan a single mozer trying to raise her daughter while making a steady income from serving tables. He deserves better…shall we go inside?"

Juliette opened the door for Anna and once the two entered the room, Diana's dark chocolate brown eyes lit up with excitement, "Mommy! Mommy! You're just in time for the tea party!"

Juliette bent down as her daughter ran into her open arms and the two embraced in a warm hug, "Am I? Well, zat's fantastic! And I've brought a friend! Zis is Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Anna gave her a little wave, "Hi, Diana. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Diana walked up to Anna with wide eyes, "Are you a real Princess?"

"Yes, I am. My sister is the Queen of Arendelle."

"Do you have unicorns in your castle?"

"No, I'm afraid that we don't. They typically don't like to be held in captivity so we had to let them go a long time ago. But we do have a reindeer named Sven."

Diana slightly pouted, "But if you're a princess, where's your tiara? And your glass slippers? And your Prince Charming?"

Anna sat cross legged on the floor, despite it not being 'lady-like', "Every princess has a different fairytale. Mine includes open gates, a talking snowman, and my prince charming is an ice harvester."

Diana's eyes widened, "Talking snowman?!"

Behind Diana, Anna saw her mother's eyes widened and briefly shook her head, "Ah, yes, because I use my imagination?"

Diana smiled as she sat down next to Anna, "Oh! I have a talking teacup named Chip!" She looked around the room and then cupped her little hands and whispered into Anna's ear, "But he doesn't really talk, I'm just using my imagination."

Ana giggled and whispered back, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Diana looked up at Juliette, "Mommy, can Anna stay with us?"

Juliette cleared her throat, "Diana, it's _Princess _Anna. She's royalty, sweetie."

Anna stood up and dusted herself off, "No, no, it's fine, really. I don't mind being called Anna…actually, how would you guys like to come back to the house I'm staying at? We can all have dinner together!"

Diana jumped up and excitedly clapped her hands, "Yay! Mommy, we're going to have dinner with a princess!"

Juliette worriedly looked at Anna, "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose-"

Anna dismissively waved her hand, "It's no trouble at all, you've done a lot for us today and it would only seem fair to give you the evening off. You're welcome to join us, Doctor."

The doctor, who had been politely listening to the conversation, smiled, "I'll only come if you call me Christopher. I'm off duty so there's no need to use my formal title."

The door opened at that moment and Eileen stuck her head in, "Doctor Bello? There's a man here with a young lady back at his estate that's very sick with some unknown illness. He's asking for your immediate assistance and says money is no object."

"I'll be right out." Christopher took out his glasses, "Well, I guess I'm back on the clock again."

Anna smirked, "Well, _Doctor_ Bello, I'll leave directions to the house here and you can come by whenever you wish."

"Thank you, Princess. I'll see you all tonight." He smiled at everyone before putting on his glasses and exiting the room.

The three girls soon walked out of the day care center and Anna spotted Eileen grabbing her coat in the hall, "Eileen! Would you like to come back to the house I'm staying at and join us for dinner?"

Eileen gave her a kind smile as she slipped on her coat, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I'm afraid that I've got to get home to my family. Supper isn't going to make itself."

From the waiting room, Christopher stuck his head into the hallway, "Eileen, where is the man?"

"He said that he would be waiting for you outside in his carriage." With a quick head nod and smile, he hurried out of the office and down the stairs.

Outside a large dark carriage was waiting for him and he hurried inside. A redheaded man with round glasses gave him an apologetic smile as he held up a black bag, "Thank you for coming, Doctor…I'm terribly sorry to inconvenience you, sir. But I'm going to have to put this on you." Everything went black for the doctor as the carriage lurched and took off at a fast pace.

* * *

Elsa was pacing back and forth as far as her chains would allow her to pace. Rapunzel's health was fading quickly, and Elsa was surprised that she didn't freeze her chains yet. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was incapable of using her powers at all. Something was wrong with her and she couldn't figure out what. She was about to make an attempt at freezing her handcuffs, when she heard that horrible gruff voice in the distance, "The doctor is on his way, someone take the Princess upstairs and place her in one of the guest bedrooms."

Elsa stood still as she heard several hurried footsteps headed their way, followed by a loud creaking noise and a small lantern entered the room. Elsa squint her eyes, trying to get a good look at the man but he kept his back to her as he unlocked Rapunzel's chains from the wall but still kept the handcuffs on her. Another man followed closely behind and easily scooped her up and left the room with another loud creaking noise.

Rapunzel's vision was blurred as she wavered back and forth on consciousness. The next thing she knew, she was lying in a large comfy bed in a beautiful pink room. She squint her eyes and took a look around, "What…where am I?"

"Relax, Princess, the doctor just arrived." Behind the changing screen she saw the silhouette of a man sitting in a large chair, "But before I let him in, we need to go over some rules. If he should ask your name, do not give it to him…if you reveal anything to the doctor regarding your identity or your situation, then I will not hesitate to kill him, got it?"

Rapunzel slowly nodded and let out a weak reply. In a matter of minutes, the door opened and the young doctor walked in, "Good evening, Miss. What seems to be the problem?"

Rapunzel moaned, "I need my medicine."

He sat down on the chair beside the bed, "Your medicine? Where's your medicine?"

"My husband has it."

"What's your husband's name?"

"Flynn."

"Okay and what's your name?"

Rapunzel slightly hesitated, "…Blondie."

"Alright, Blondie. I'll search for your husband and get your medicine, but until then I'm going to examine your symptoms and prescribe you some of my own medicine."

Rapunzel began to break out in a cold sweat and her breathing started to quicken. The doctor ordered that someone bring him a basin of cold water and a clean washcloth. An older gentleman in a suit walked in and placed the supplies on the small table beside the bed and patiently stood in the back of the room. The doctor began to dab Rapunzel's forehead with the cool cloth and spoke in a calm manner, "Miss, when did you start feeling ill?"

"When I found out I was pregnant…two weeks ago."

"You're pregnant?" The doctor turned towards the man in the back, "Get me a bucket, quickly!"

The gentleman returned quickly and handed the doctor the bucket just as Rapunzel turned toward it and began to throw up. The doctor placed the cool cloth on the back of her neck while she remained hunched over the bucket for a few more minutes and eventually falling back onto the pillows exhausted. The doctor dampened the cloth and placed it on her forehead, "You're going to feel fine for the next few minutes, but the nausea will quickly return. The best thing you can do is sleep as much as possible until we get some anti-nausea medicine in you."

Rapunzel closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, "I need _my _medicine to help me during my pregnancy or else I could fall seriously ill like my mother did when she was pregnant with me. It's specially made for me."

He stood up and gently held her hand, "I'll do my best, Blondie. Now please get some rest and I'll be back in the morning with some medicine."

"Thank you, Doctor…?"

"Christopher Bello…and it's my pleasure, Miss. See you in the morning."

After the doctor left the room, the man behind the changing screen finally spoke up, "Good job on the fake names, Princess. The good doctor's life shall be spared." He cleared his throat, "Alfred, go get the chains and cuffs. We need to make sure the lost princess doesn't wander off on us." The older gentleman in the back nodded and exited the room, and in a few minutes, Rapunzel was chained to the bedpost for the remainder of the night.

* * *

It was about six in the evening when everyone gathered in Reinhold Estate, with the exception of Christopher. Hans and Anna played host and hostess while Hannah volunteered to cook the meal. Diana stayed with Hannah in the kitchen/dining room while Juliette, Eugene, and Kristoff sat in the living room, trying to figure out who would have kidnapped Rapunzel and Elsa. Anna and Hans walked into the room and stood by the entry way when the topic of ransom money came into play.

"Ze fact zat so many royals were attending ze ball would make it very appealing to someone trying to make a quick fortune."

Eugene leaned back in his chair, "But why was Elsa and Rapunzel targeted? There were so many other guests who belong to richer kingdoms than Corona and Arendelle. They were chosen for a reason."

Hans crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, "Perhaps Miss Ludder wanted to get rid of Rapunzel so she could have Eugene all to herself and Elsa was collateral. She seemed _very_ taken by you."

Eugene rolled his eyes, Oh, so, we're back to _that _again. For the last time, Scarlett didn't do anything. Maybe one of those admirers wanted to kidnap Elsa because of her powers and Rapunzel was collateral."

Hans strode into the room and stood in front of where Eugene was sitting, "You can't fool me…You're hiding something Eugene, I know, _you _know something. What is it that you and Miss Ludder discussed in private? What's so important that you feel like you need to withhold it from us?"

Eugene looked him up and down with a smirk, "You're jealous aren't you?"

"What?!"

"You're jealous that Scarlett didn't pay you any attention at the ball, and for some reason, you and her always seem to be in a quarrel about something."

Hans's voice was a low growl, "I'm not jealous of that tramp making moves on you! I love my wife so much that I don't even look at another woman with lust, let alone take off with one."

Eugene's smirked quickly changed to a look of anger, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Well, Flynn Rider was always a ladies' man, was he not?" Now it was Hans's turn to smirk, "Old habits die hard, eh, Rider?"

Eugene leaped out of his chair and gave Hans a good shove, "That's too far! How dare you insinuate that I'd cheat on my wife!"

Kristoff quickly stood up and placed himself between the two princes, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay you two, take five!"

Anna hurried into the room and snatched Hans's arm, "Let's go, you're with me." After she quickly dragged Hans out of the room and into the hallway, she turned around to face him with a look of exasperation and disbelief, "What's wrong with you? Ever since we left the palace, you and Eugene have been at each other's throat!" Hans was still fuming and couldn't meet her eye. Anna gently placed her hand on his forearm, "Hans, talk to me, what's wrong?"

Hans angrily turned around and slammed his hand against the wall, making Anna jump, "I'm tired of talking, Anna! All we do is talk about what could have happened or who could have kidnapped them, but we're not doing anything about it!" He slumped against the wall and dropped his head, "I just want to find them."

"And, what, I'm just happily enjoying this _lovely_ vacation? I want to find them too, ya know? You think I'm okay with all this talk? You know me better than that, Hans…I'm a woman of action." She tilted her head so that she could meet his eyes, "But we can't find them until we know who did it…you and I know that. We're lucky to have Hannah and Juliette helping us and we will find them."

Hans looked up at her, "Just hopefully before they're dead, right?"

Anna placed her hands on her hips, "Pessimism will get you nowhere. Now, you and Eugene are going to take a timeout from each other until dinner is served. So go into the kitchen or something."

Hans chuckled as he headed down the hallway, "Yes, _Mom_."

* * *

Hans walked into the kitchen to see Diana coloring at the table and Hannah quickly working her way around the kitchen. Diana smiled when she saw Hans enter the room, "Prince Hans! Look what I drew!"

Hans sat next to her at the table and took the paper she held out for him, "Wow, that's a really beautiful…what is that exactly?"

"It's a unicorn! Princess Anna told me that she used to have unicorns at her castle but they didn't like being in the stables so they let them all go free."

Hans could help but chuckle, "She did, did she?"

Diana reached over and took the drawing back, wistfully looking at her rainbow unicorn, "I wish I had a unicorn…did you have one at your castle?"

"Ahh…no. I grew up with all brothers so unicorns weren't exactly our thing. But I did have a stuffed horse named Sitron. My mother gave him to me when I was born and it was the single greatest gift I ever received."

"Do you still have Sitron?"

Hans sheepishly smiled, "As a matter of fact, I do."

There was a loud crash in the connecting kitchen, causing Hans and Diana to suddenly turn around. Hans stood up and walked over to the counter, "Is everything okay, Hannah?"

Hannah quickly poked her head above the counter with a smile, "I'm fine…just knocked over some empty pots and pans."

Hans stepped behind the counter and helped her clean up the mess, "I'm sorry, I should've asked if you needed help with dinner. You've done so much for us today-"

"No, it's okay, I enjoy cooking. It's been awhile since I've cooked anything for this many people. But I guess I could use a sous chef if you're willing to lend a hand."

"It would be my pleasure. Just let me go wash my hands."

Hans quickly returned and put on an apron. He started chopping up some vegetables that were spread out on the cutting board. As Hannah was working on something else beside him, she cleared her throat, "I heard what you said about the stuffed horse your mother gave you…did you really keep it?"

Hans hesitated, "…Yes. After I went back to the Southern Isles to have my father reinstate my title, I went through some stuff in my room because I had to pack my clothes and whatnot since I was going to live in Arendelle for the rest of my life. And I found Sitron safely tucked away where no one but me could find him and I, uh, brought him to Arendelle with me. You can't tell anyone about this, okay? I haven't even told Elsa, yet."

Hannah nodded with a smile, "How are you two able to share a room without her finding it?"

"Three reasons…I'm very good at hiding things, Elsa and I don't go searching in each other's wardrobe, and we don't spend that much time in our bedroom unless we're sleeping or…"

Hannah smirked, "I understand…that's really sweet you, know?"

"Well, Elsa and I agreed that personal space is very important in a relationship and that searching through each other's stuff was-"

"Not that…" Hannah couldn't help but laugh, "I meant saving Sitron."

Hans fake the realization, "Ahh. Yes…well my mother meant a lot to me. Saving that horse was like saving whatever few memories I had left of her." He stopped chopping when he heard Hannah sniffling, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No, it's the onions."

Hans smirked, "There are no onions."

Hannah looked at him, realizing that he was staring at her. She quickly looked away and decided to take over the vegetables, "You're taking too long. Here's a trick I was taught when growing up." Hans stepped back as Hannah showed him the quickest and most efficient way to slice and dice the numerous vegetables.

Hans patiently watched, "You know, I think I remember doing something like that. My mother taught me the same thing, but it's been so long I forgot." Hannah just smiled and continued chopping as Hans narrowed his eyes at her, "So what's your back story? You know a lot about me and my childhood, but I don't know much about you."

She shrugged without looking up at him, "There's not much to know about me…I'm very plain, very boring."

"You're a top private investigator. I hardly think you're _that _boring. Where did you grow up?"

Hannah put the knife down and looked around the kitchen, "Listen, I think everything's almost ready to be served so could you set the table? Maybe Diana will help you."

Hans suspiciously raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything as he began to set the table. Dinner was very civil and very delicious but nothing was said about Elsa and Rapunzel's disappearance, for the sake of Diana. Not long after everyone had finished eating, there was a knock at the door. Hans stood up and slowly made his way to the door, keeping a cautious hand close to the hidden knife in his boot. He opened the door a crack to reveal a young man, with bold blue eyes hiding behind thick glasses and very light blonde clean cut hair. The guest shyly smiled, "Good evening, I was previously invited by Princess Anna to come eat supper with you but I'm afraid I'm rather late. Is it still okay for me to come in?"

Before Hans could answer, Anna had already snuck up behind him and overheard the man's request, "Doctor Bello! Of course you can still come in! Hans open the door for my friend here."

The doctor walked inside and gratefully bowed at Anna, "Thank you, Princess. And Prince Hans, how are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well, the worst is probably the lack of sleep but other than that, I'm fine." They went to join the rest of the group in the living room.

Diana ran over to Christopher and gave him a hug, while Juliette served coffee to everyone in the room, "Doctor Bello, it's so nice for you to join us zis evening."

Christopher sat down on a large chair with Diana on his lap, "Juliette, you work too hard. You serve people all day long, take a load off and enjoy yourself."

Juliette smiled, "It's my job to serve others, zis is second nature to me."

Christopher gave her a friendly smile in return before addressing the rest of the group, "Thanks for inviting me…this is a lovely place. Who does it belong to?"

Hans brought over a few dining room chairs and sat down, "It belongs to my brother, but he's letting my wife and I stay here while he's travelling around Europe."

Anna sat beside Kristoff on the sofa, "So Christopher, if I may pry, what happened with the sick young woman you had to attend to at the last minute?"

"You know it was all rather strange…when I got into the carriage the man put a black bag over my head. He said that we were headed to a secret location that couldn't be revealed to me. When we arrived, I was led into the estate and up to a bedroom where a beautiful young lady seemed to be under an unusual amount of distress. The first thing she said to me was that she needed 'her medicine' for her pregnancy and that her husband, Flynn, had it."

Everyone looked at Eugene who sat there with a concerned expression on his face, "What was her name?"

"It was something very unique…Blondie, I think?"

Eugene quickly sat up, "Blondie?! She actually said her name was Blondie?!"

"…Yes."

"Did she have very short brown hair and large green eyes?"

"Yes. Do you know her?"

"That's my wife!"

"You're Flynn?"

"When we first met, I introduced myself to her under the identity of Flynn Rider. And I used to call her Blondie all the time, well, actually I still do. Wait, you said she was sick?"

"Yes, she was extremely nauseas, no doubt symptoms from the pregnancy, but let's just say that within five minutes, she successfully filled a bucket. And I won't even begin to mention the cold sweats and heavy breathing…she was in some serious pain."

"You need to find out where she is!"

"I'm going back tomorrow morning, Prince Eugene…do you happen to know what medicine she was talking about?"

"Yes, we brought some medicine from Corona with us that she has to take every morning and sometimes at night if she's not feeling well." Eugene ran a tired hand through his hair, "Aw, man, it's easily been over twenty four hours since she last got a dose, this is awful!"

"But you do have it?"

"Yes, it's in my luggage. Come with me." Christopher handed Juliette her daughter and then the two men strode out of the room and hurried up the stairs.

Anna snuggled closer to Kristoff on the sofa, "Well, that worked out rather nicely. Perhaps Elsa is staying at that same estate as Rapunzel and after tomorrow, we can finally put a plan into action."

* * *

It was ten o'clock at night when Christopher, Juliette and Diana decided to head back into town, leaving Hannah with the foreigners. They had decided that when Christopher returned to the questionable location, he would search for every possible clue he could come up with to figure out where the mystery estate was located without attracting attention. Hannah had given him plenty of tips to help him utilize his other senses, such as sound and smell, to figure out the location of the secret estate, as well.

After they left, Eugene and Kristoff volunteered to clean the dishes while Anna helped Hannah get settled into a guestroom. Hans walked outside and made his way over to the pond, casually leaning against a tree.

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing…I just can't wait until this night is over."_

"_You and me both. But don't worry, once we get out of here, we can relax at home and even take a quick midnight dip in the pond if you want."_

"_I would very much like that."_

"_Great, it's a date."_

Hans sadly smiled at the memory, "We had a date…"

"What's that?"

He turned around to see his sister-in-law standing in the shadows, "Hey, Anna…"

She walked towards him, "What's this about a date?"

"It was something Elsa and I discussed at the ball."

"Oh…" She began to step on the rocks that outlined the pond, "Pretty exciting stuff tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, hopefully that will lead to a swift finish to this madness. And then we can all go back home to Arendelle."

She began to hop from rock to rock, trying to keep her balance, "But, wait a second, you and Elsa are supposed to be on your honeymoon. You can't go back."

Hans chuckled, "Anna, I'm one hundred percent sure that if we all walk out of this alive, then Elsa won't want to finish the honeymoon here. We'll go somewhere safer, like the mountains of Arendelle or maybe go back with Eugene and Rapunzel to Corona."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Hans continued to watch her hop from rock to rock with a smirk, "So you and Kristoff seem to be getting along…did you two kiss and makeup?"

"Actually, yes we did. But we agreed that we're going to put our relationship on hold and wait until I'm ready to settle down. It's not like we're under a time constraint and I need to get married soon."

"If you forgot, Elsa was rushed into marriage because she failed to find someone before she turned twenty-two. So you technically _are _under a time constraint, and to be honest, I don't think you're ever going to settle down, Anna. You'll be ninety and still want to slide down the banister."

Anna giggled as she stopped on a large rock and then looked at Hans with a serious expression, "So you think that we made the wrong decision?"

"No, not at all…" Hans hopped on a few rocks to get closer to her, "I think you made the right choice for the time being, but remember that after you turn twenty-one, you can't marry a commoner like Kristoff and you've got one year to find a prince…it's the law."

Anna wrinkled her nose, "Sometimes I wonder if the council has nothing better to do other than making our lives miserable-" She hopped to the next rock but accidentally overshot it and landed feet first into the pond with a yelp. Unfortunately for her, she fell into the deepest part of the pond so that the water easily went over her head.

Hans hopped over to her and knelt down on the large rock as she bobbed back to the surface, "Anna, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Anna took one look at Hans and rolled her eyes, "It's okay, you can laugh if you want. I bet I look ridiculous."

Hans smirked as he pulled her out of the water, "I wasn't going to laugh…but since you insist." He let out a short chuckle as he took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders, "My goodness, Anna, you're certainly a picture of sophisticated grace."

Anna playfully slapped his arm, "Oh hush! I've given up on trying to be someone I'm not. I don't want to be perfect. I only aim to be fearless and resilient and myself."

Hans gave her a sincere smile, "You're unlike any person I've ever met. And I wouldn't change anything about you, because let's be real…normal just doesn't suit you."

Anna laughed, "Sometimes I pretend to be normal…but it gets boring. So I go back to being myself." She wrapped Hans's jacket tighter around her body, "I'm going to head inside and change out of these wet clothes. Make sure you get some sleep, you've been up for over thirty-six hours, now."

"I'll be inside shortly, goodnight, Anna."

"Night." Anna hurried back towards the house, desperately wanting to put something warm and dry on.

Hans watched her and chuckled to himself. He sat down beside the pond and mindlessly threw a pebble in, watching the rings of the water spread out, slowly blending into the rest of the pond. He heard some rustling leaves behind him and quickly turned around, "Oh, it's just you. What are you doing out here?"

Hannah slowly walked towards him, avoiding his eyes, "I came out here to talk to you…" Hans raised his eyebrows at her but remained silent, patiently waiting for her to continue. "I can't help but sense that you seem suspicious of my past and I've decided that I should share with you who I really am." She sat down beside him and took a deep breath, "Your father was the one who slipped something into your mother's drink…he was the one who caused her to fall ill. But he didn't kill her." She looked up at Hans for the first time, "He didn't kill her because, despite his anger towards her, he still loved her very much. He faked her death and sent her far away from the Southern Isles."

Hans looked down and his response came out as a small whisper, "But, why?"

"He was angry with her because she favored the youngest prince in the family above all else. He wanted her to be as far away from you as possible…"

He stood up and looked down at her with a confused look on his face, "How do you know all this?"

"Because I lived through it…" She quickly stood up and her emerald green eyes bore into his similarly green eyes, "Sixteen years ago, you lost your mother, but death did not take her away from you…I was sent here and I've been living here during those long sixteen years."

"Wait, so you're…?" He thought back to everything she ever said to him…the interest in him learning French because of his mother, her knowing that his mother died sixteen years ago without him mentioning it, her interest in his stuffed horse Sitron, the tears she shed when she learned how much he loved and missed his mother…it all came together in an instant. Hans's eyes widened when he looked at Hannah, finally recognizing the similar features they shared from their bright green eyes, to their vibrant red hair. "Mother?"

"Yes. Hans, I'm sorry I should have told you sooner-"

She couldn't finish because Hans threw his arms around her, "You're alive! My mother's alive!" He pulled away from the hug and looked at her through teary eyes, "I can't believe it, and you've been here all this time. You've been standing next to me, talking to me, and helping me this entire time. I should have realized it sooner."

Hannah smiled as tears began to run down her cheeks, "I didn't want you to know, in case you weren't the same Hans that I last saw when you were eight. After everything I read in the papers about you trying to kill Princess Anna and Queen Elsa, I was crushed thinking that your father had ruined you. Speaking of which…" She pinched Hans's ear like she used to do when he was little, making him wince, "How could you do such a horrid thing like that! Murder?! What was wrong with you?!"

Hans's ear was turning a dark shade of red, "Ow! Sorry! I'm sorry! I wasn't in my right mind! I wanted to become king so badly I wasn't thinking!"

Hannah finally let go, "You're darn right, you weren't thinking. Nevertheless…" She threw arms around him again, "I'm so glad that you're back to being the kind-hearted young man I raised. And I have to ask, how did that happen?"

Hans sat back down by a tree, "Anna and Elsa…they are some of the best people I have ever met. It shames me to think how easily I wanted them to be wiped off the face of the earth just for a throne. To be honest, Elsa had originally sentenced me to be hanged but Anna had convinced her to let me live, so I was indebted to work as Elsa's personal servant for the rest of my life. Then Anna and Kristoff came down with a serious plague and although Anna was said to survive, Kristoff wouldn't. So Elsa and I left to go to the Kingdom of Sperca to find an antidote from a witch doctor named Eir. I saved Elsa's life when we ran into some bandits that turned out to be Kendrick's royal guards-"

Hannah sat down beside him with wide eyes, "Wait, Kendrick became the King of Sperca? How's he doing?"

Hans hesitated, "…He's dead, Mom. While Elsa and I were staying at the castle with him and his wife, the rebels raided it and we all had to evacuate. I don't know what happened but when I was brought back I was told that he was dead."

She remained quiet for a little bit, "Okay two questions, who did he marry? And what do you mean 'when I was brought back'?"

"He married Annaliese, the daughter of your former lady in waiting."

"Oh yes, I remember her. She was always such a beauty, did she grow up pretty?"

Hans could help but grin, "She was even more beautiful when she got older…we actually dated for a couple of years. But eventually we split up because we both wanted very different things out of life. Then Kendrick took her to be his queen when he left to go rule Sperca."

"So if Kendrick's dead, is she dead too?"

"Actually, no, she's still alive and she's currently staying with us in Arendelle's castle with her newborn...a baby boy.

"Oh! How wonderful! So, now my second question-"

"How was I brought back? Well, when the rebels raided the castle…I died." He carefully watched her expression, which just like he suspected was filled with confusion. He looked away and began to play with a piece of grass, "I managed to get Elsa out of the castle alive so she could return to Arendelle with the antidote, but I wasn't so fortunate." He unbuttoned the top of his shirt revealing the scars on his chest, "I was hit with five arrows before falling out of a window and crashing into the waters below. Annaliese found my body in a stream and she returned me to Eir, the witch doctor, and they somehow revived me."

Hannah stared at his chest with teary eyes before talking in a small whisper, "You died?"

"I didn't mind though because I died for the woman I loved…it was worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat." He let out a sigh, "Once spring came around, I returned to Arendelle to find that Elsa had just gotten engaged to another prince. It was an arrange marriage that her council forced her into, but fortunately the other prince hadn't received word of the engagement so when I returned, Elsa chose to marry me instead, as long as I could get my royal title back from my father, which I did. And, so, on June third I married the woman I loved and now here we are on our honeymoon that has turned into a total disaster."

"And she loved you in return, I presume?"

"Yes, that's why she changed her mind when I came back to Arendelle. She thought I was dead but when she realized I wasn't, she couldn't change her decision fast enough." Hans chuckled, "To be honest, I don't know how she could have fallen in love with a man like me. She's so beautiful and elegant and kind and just…wow."

She looked up at him with a sad smile, "I've missed so much…"

Hans wrapped his arms around her, "But it's okay now, because we're together and once this whole thing is over with, you could come back to Arendelle with me and Elsa and everyone else."

Hannah broke away from the hug, "No! I can't! If your father finds out that you know that I'm alive, let alone staying in Arendelle with you, he'll try to kill you and Elsa and anyone else who knows who I really am."

Hans smirked, "He won't find out."

"How can you be so sure?"

Hans stood up with a smug expression as he held out his hand for her, "He still thinks that I married Elsa just to get to the throne. He has no clue that I actually love her and he will _never_ catch on."

Hannah took his hand and stood up with a smirk, "You've conned the world's greatest conman…I'm impressed."

They walked back inside the house and up the stairs to the bedrooms. Before Hannah went into her room, she placed a hand on his cheek and quickly leaned forward and kissed his other cheek, "I'm so glad that now you know who I really am…and thanks for catching me up on what's been going on in your life recently. I can't wait to find and meet your wife, although, if you did end up marrying Anna, I think she would have been good for you."

Hans chuckled as he gave his mother a hug, "I think Anna and Kristoff are a better match anyways. Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight…Hans."


	11. Chapter 11

**************Hey Guys! Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming! Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 11: Plan Development**

The early morning sun's light was like a slap in the face once the black bag was removed from Christopher's head. He tried to take a good look around before he was quickly ushered inside the large estate. The redheaded man walked beside him as they entered the main lobby and headed up the stairs, "How did the search for the husband go?"

Christopher took a good inconspicuous look around the room, "I couldn't find anyone by the name of Flynn in town, so I just stopped looking and came up with my own medicine. It should do the trick, I mean if Blondie's illness is caused from her pregnancy, it should be a somewhat easy fix."

"That's good to hear…the master of the estate seemed somewhat concerned about her health."

The doctor smiled as they approached the bedroom door, "She'll be fine." He gently knocked on the door and then proceeded to slowly open it, "Good morning, Blondie. How did you sleep?"

Rapunzel lay in the bed with a distressed look on her sickly pale face, "I didn't. Did you find my husband?"

"I'm sorry I didn't find anybody named Flynn in town. But I was able to come up with some medicine that should do the trick." Once he revealed the bottle to Rapunzel, her eyes lit up with recognition. He held up a finger to his lips and gave her a subtle wink, "Do you mind if I sing a song? It always seems to make my patients relax."

Rapunzel nodded while trying to hide her growing smile. Christopher poured a small dose into a cup, "Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine."

By the end of the incantation, Rapunzel finished drinking the medicine and her once paled face suddenly bloomed with color. She gave him a grateful smile, "Thank you, Doctor. I feel so much better."

Christopher looked at her nightstand and realized that there was a notepad filled with drawings of flowers and a girl with extremely long hair, "What beautiful artwork, did you draw these?"

Rapunzel nodded her head, "I couldn't sleep last night so I stayed up and drew some things." Her eyes darted towards the changing screen, to where the man was sitting and listening to their conversation. "You know, I think I should be fine as long as I have this medicine, thanks again, Doctor."

Christopher picked up on her hint to leave, "Well, it's my pleasure, Blondie. I suggest you take this every morning and even at night, if you start to feel poor." As he stood up, he lifted her hand and planted a gentle kiss on top, noticing the bruises and marks on her wrist from the cuffs. "I would say that I hope to see you again, but that would mean you've fallen ill, so I hope to see you…around town, perhaps?"

Rapunzel opened the hand that the doctor was holding and produced a small note that fell into his hand. She smiled with a subtle wink, "Perhaps."

Christopher swiftly tucked to note into his coat as he walked out of the room. Once the door was closed, the man behind the screen spoke up, "Making him leave before he started asking too many questions…good job, Princess. His life shall be spared. How are you feeling?"

Rapunzel sat up with what she hoped seem to be a convincing frown, "I'm doing a lot better than yesterday. Thank you for the medical assistance, Mister…?"

The man behind the screen hoarsely chuckled, "Nice try, Princess. Gregory, take her back to her previous room."

The redheaded man walked over to her and placed the cuffs back on. Then he placed a black bag over her head, before scooping her up in his arms and taking her down several flights of stairs. Finally, the familiar creaking noise sounded as Gregory went to go chain Rapunzel to the same wall she was chained to when she first arrived. Once he was finished and took off the black bag, he smirked as he made his way towards the exit, "Sorry, Princess, we can't have you taking advantage of our hospitality-" He suddenly felt something cold and steely go around his neck, knocking the air out of him.

He struggled for a few seconds but as his hands reached up to his neck he realized that the thing around his neck were chains. He stopped struggling when he heard an icy feminine voice behind him, "Where are we?" The man tried to loosen the grip, but in response Elsa tightened her grip, "Answer the question! Where are we?!"

"Franklin Estate…or under it I suppose…in a dungeon."

"Are you the man responsible for holding us captive?"

"No! I'm just an associate…a henchman, really."

"Then who's in charge of holding us captive?"

Another voice sounded from a distance, "You kill him and your sister's life will also be taken!"

Elsa's entire body tensed up, "What?!"

One by one, all the lanterns in the dungeon were lighted and for the first time since their arrival, Rapunzel and Elsa could actually see their surroundings. And the man was right, they were in a dungeon. Elsa looked down the dungeon hall to see another man approaching them, "Let him go free and no harm will go to your sister."

Elsa tightened her grip, "You're bluffing. Anna isn't even in London anymore. I sent her back to Arendelle two days ago."

"Funny…because, if recall correctly, I ran into her in the castle hallways just yesterday morning. She seemed to be set on not leaving London until she's found you."

Elsa hesitated, "…Who are you?"

Once the man finally walked close enough, Rapunzel gasped, "Thomas Sullivan! But, why?"

Thomas smirked, "Oh, don't get too worked up…I'm not the man in charge. I'm just like Mister Westergard here…an associate doing what they're told."

"Westergard?!" Elsa quickly dropped her grip on her brother-in-law, "You're Hans's brother?! The one who invited us here?"

Gregory gasped for air on the floor as he crawled out of Elsa's reach, "Sorry, Your Majesty, I was indebted to them."

"Who's 'them'?!"

"Silence!" Thomas coolly ran his hand through his hair, "As the master said, 'all your questions will be answered in due time.' Gregory, you'll remain at the estate while I go give Princess Anna a _proper_ wake up call."

Elsa glared icy daggers at the men, "If you hurt her, then you're going to have to answer to me! And I will do everything in my power to make sure you pay!"

Thomas chuckled as he closed their cell door, "Oh, don't worry. The master gave me strict instructions to bring her here unharmed. He also told me to kill anyone who got in our way…better hope your hubbies stay out of this. I would hate to make you a widow on your honeymoon, Queen Elsa, and Princess Rapunzel, I would hate to make your unborn baby fatherless."

Rapunzel got as close to the cell bars as she could, violently yanking at her chains and her voice full of forceful anger, "I promise you, if you lay one hand upon my husband, it will be the last thing you'll ever do! And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise…_ever_!"

The men just walked away with Thomas chuckling at the girls' attempts to threaten him. After they heard the sound of a large door closing, Rapunzel turned to Elsa, "I sent a note to Eugene and the others with the doctor. He seemed to be working with them. Hopefully, they'll receive the letter in time."

Elsa nodded and gave her a concerned look, "How are you feeling?"

Rapunzel shrugged with a small smile, "I'm doing okay now. The doctor got my medicine from Eugene so until tomorrow, I should be fine. How are you? No injuries?"

Elsa looked down at her dress, "I don't think so." She walked over to her wooden bench/bed and sat down, "I can't believe this is happening…everyone we know is in grave danger. And it's all my fault…again. I don't even know why I'm here, what did I do _this_ time?"

Rapunzel sat cross legged on her wooden bench/bed and sighed, "I don't know…we never get to enjoy a normal life, do we? I wonder if other princesses and queens have to deal with all these crazy people and dangerous adventures."

Elsa sadly smiled, "I doubt it…most of the royal guests at the ball were telling me how 'dull and boring' their lives have been."

Rapunzel laughed, "I could go for a little dull and boring right about now. Do you think any one of them would like to trade situations?"

Elsa leaned her head back against the wall and sighed, "I doubt it."

* * *

Anna slowly opened her bedroom door and looked down the hallway. Since everyone seemed to still be in their rooms, Anna slipped on her robe and tried to tip toe down the stairs as quietly as possible. Of course, being that she was Anna, every step she took seemed to creak, "Shhh! Quiet stairs!" She continued down the creaky stairs and rolled her eyes, "Fine, if you insist…" She hopped on the railing and slid down the reminder of the way. Once she landed on the ground floor, her right foot got caught on the rug and she landed face first onto the plush rug. She sighed and she blew a piece of hair out of her face, "So much for being quiet and lady like." She stood up and dusted herself off, "Now for some breakfast."

As she headed towards the kitchen she heard a noise outside, something like a grunt. She quickly grabbed a double chocolate chip muffin that was sitting on the counter from the previous night and hurried outside. She walked out the back door and followed the sound around the house towards the stables. She continued around the stables to find her favorite ice harvester chopping wood…shirtless and sweaty. She leaned against the stables and casually ate her muffin, watching Kristoff's back muscles engage and disengage as he lifted the ax and then forcefully brought it back down on the wood. When he placed the ax down and reached for a rag, Anna cleared her throat, "Isn't it a little early to be getting all sweaty and stinky?"

Kristoff jumped and quickly turned around with his eyes wide, "Anna! What are you doing up so early?"

"I asked you first."

Kristoff reached for his shirt and quickly put it on, much to Anna's dislike, "I'm used to waking up early because of my job. And when I noticed that the firewood in the living room as running low, I decided to do something about it and came out here. Okay, your turn."

Anna took another bite of her muffin, "I was hungry."

Kristoff smirked as he hungrily eyed the half-eaten muffin in her hand, "Are you going to share that?"

"No." And to prove her point, she shoved the rest of her muffin in her mouth.

Kristoff teasingly shook his head, "Tsk, tsk…now what would Elsa say if she saw you stuffing a chocolate chip muffin in your face."

Anna held up her index finger, signaling for him to wait until she finished chewing. Eventually, she managed to swallow the remainder of her muffin, "It depends…if she's in sister mode, she would have wrestled me for a bite. If she was in queen mode, then she'd tell me that it's not 'lady-like for a princess to' blah blah blah you know the rest."

Kristoff laughed as he bent down to pick up some of the chopped wood, "Please, tell me that you left at least _one _muffin for me?"

"I know there was a large carrot muffin sitting on the counter with your name on it."

"That'll do." Once he loaded several logs of wood on his shoulder, he gestured his head towards the house, "Lead the way." They stepped away from the stables and started towards the house. Suddenly a loud bang sounded and Kristoff staggered back, falling to the ground and dropping all the wood.

Anna turned around with a panicked expression, "Kristoff!" She ran back to him but before she could reach him, two men rode in on horseback. One carried a gun in his hand, aiming the weapon at the fallen ice harvester and the other one rode up to Anna, quickly scooping her up onto his horse and proceeded to gallop down the road. Anna continued to scream Kristoff's name, but the only response she heard was another gunshot.

Anna's heart was racing as she began to kick and push away her kidnapper, "Let me go! Kristoff! Kristoff!"

The man tightened his grip on the princess, "Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm afraid that your friend won't be coming to your rescue. And just a suggestion…I think you should keep your voice down."

"No! I _think _I want you to let me go-" The man placed a cloth over her nose and mouth, and the world slowly began to fade away.

* * *

Hans, Eugene and Hannah all ran outside to see Kristoff lying on the ground with wood splayed everywhere. Eugene knelt down beside the stunned ice harvester, "Kristoff, are you okay man?"

He slowly sat up, immediately feeling a sharp pain on his head followed by intense throbbing, "Yeah…yeah I'm fine. I've got a thick skull."

"What happened?"

"Anna and I were walking back to the house-" He wildly looked around, causing his headache to grow more intense, "Anna! They took her! Those men took her!"

Hans knelt down to his eye level, "Who took her, Kristoff? Which way did they go?"

"I don't know. That way, maybe…" Kristoff closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, "Everything happened so fast…it was all a blur."

Hans noticed a trail of horse tracks in the dirt, "Eugene, you're with me. Hannah, look after Kristoff and makes sure his head's alright."

Hans and Eugene ran into the stables and hurriedly saddled up their horses. Just as they were about to mount up and take off, Hannah rushed in, "Hans, Eugene, you might want to take something to defend yourselves with." She held up a piece of wood with a bullet wedged right in the middle of it, "The men who took Anna are carrying deadly force. The gun shot we heard was intended to kill Kristoff, but he got lucky."

Hans pulled the knife out of his boot, "This is all I've got. Eugene?"

Eugene ran into the house and quickly returned with his weapon of choice, "Okay, I'm ready."

Hans smirked, "Eugene? That's a frying pan."

"Yeah, I know." He caught Hans's smirk and expertly tossed the pan to his other hand, "Hey, don't question the power of the frying pan." The two men mounted their horses and burst out of the stables, galloping down the dirt road.

Hannah anxiously watched them race away, "Be careful…"

* * *

After about twenty minutes of following the two sets of tracks, the trail was beginning to grow cold. Hans dismounted his horse and bent down to inspect the ground, "This doesn't make sense…the tracks just disappear."

Eugene leaned forward on his horse and rested his arms on the saddle, "Do you think the men who took Anna are the same people who kidnapped Elsa and Rapunzel?"

"Possibly…" Hans sat down and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "Some job Kristoff did protecting Anna. He was supposed to make sure that nothing like this happened to her."

"Well, I guess that means he's only human, just like you and me." He took a quick look around, "Do you think we should keep following this dead end trail or just regroup back at Reinhold Estate?"

"Let's regroup…" Hans mounted his horse and gave Eugene a determined look, "Because as far as I'm concerned, this whole fiasco ends today."

* * *

"Kristoff, please lie down and stay still…"

"But it hurts…"

"And it's going to keep hurting unless I attend to it." Hannah poured some alcohol onto a clean cloth and wiped at a few wounds on the right side of his face, neck, and shoulder, causing Kristoff to wince. She sighed as she continued to pick out a few more splinters, "You should be happy that these splinters were the only real damage done to you. You could have been killed."

Kristoff groaned, "I messed up Hannah, my number priority was to protect Anna, to keep her safe…and I failed."

Hannah began to gently wrap up his right shoulder, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, I'm going to find her. And hopefully Hans and Eugene found something-" There was a knock on the door that quickly quieted them down.

Hannah grabbed an empty vase and hurried over to the door, "Who's there?"

"It's Doctor Bello…may I come in, I have something very important to show you."

Hannah quickly unlocked the door, "Christopher, aren't you supposed to be at your clinic?"

"I have something for Prince Eugene, where is he?"

"He and Hans took off to go follow the trail of the men who kidnapped Anna."

"Princess Anna was kidnapped?! When?!"

"This morning…" Hannah closed the door and securely locked it, "We heard a gunshot and hurried outside to find Kristoff lying on the ground with wood everywhere and Anna missing." She showed Christopher the piece of wood with the bullet, "They came with every intention to kill whoever was in the way, but Kristoff was extremely lucky."

Christopher gave the ice harvester a concerned look, "Are you okay, Kristoff?"

Kristoff sat up on the sofa, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a nice bump on the head and several splinters from when the bullet hit the wood. So what do you have to show us?"

"I should really wait for Prince Eugene to be present. It's a note from Blondie-I, mean, Princess Rapunzel. And it's addressed to him."

"What's addressed to me?"

Everyone in the living room turned to see Eugene and Hans walk into the room. Hannah felt relieved that they seemed unharmed, "Did you find anything about the men who took Anna?"

Hans shook his head as he dejectedly sat down, "No…we followed the trail but after a while it just disappeared. So instead of wasting countless hours searching for who-knows-what, we decided that it would be best to regroup here and think up a plan of action."

Kristoff glared at him, "So you just gave up?!"

Hans stood back up, "Of course not! We searched for another trail or clue but we found nothing…obviously these men are professionals because they didn't leave much of a trail for us to follow."

Kristoff rolled his eyes, "Well, they're not going to leave a trail of bread crumbs for you to follow. You've got to actually try-"

"We did try!" He leaned close to Kristoff and lowered his voice to a threatening growl, "Do not think for one second that you're the only guy here who cares for Anna, because that, sir, is not the case."

Kristoff laughed a humorless laugh, "Oh, really? Says the guy who was willing to let her freeze to death only a year ago! You know what I think…I think this whole thing was a scheme you set up to ensure you the throne of Arendelle. Elsa and Anna are both missing, they could be dead for all we know, and here you are, unharmed and available to take the throne."

Hans briefly stared at him in disbelief, "How hard did you get hit on the head?! You're talking nonsense, Kristoff! Listen-"

"No, _you _listen!" Kristoff stood up to his full height, easily towering over Hans by a few inches, "Ever since you came back from Sperca, you've been acting like some sort of knight in shining armor, like you didn't just try to murder the two royal sisters only a few months earlier. You might have Elsa fooled, you might have Anna fooled, you may even have fooled all the citizens of Arendelle, but you can't fool _me_!"

"Kristoff-"

"I've never trusted you and as far as I'm concerned I'm never _going_ to trust you. You are a lying lowlife and a murdering monster-"

"That's enough!" Hans gave Kristoff one of the hardest, coldest, sternest stares he had ever given while keeping his voice down to a low steady growl, "I will not stand here and take this rubbish from a lowly ice harvester. Despite what you think, I am still royalty, I am still your King, and you still have to treat me with respect. We are not on the same level Mr. Bjorgman and I suggest you hold your tongue before I have to pull rank on you."

Kristoff scoffed, "Your right, we're not on the same level-"

"Gentlemen…" Eugene stepped in between them and slowly pushed them away from each other, "I think the good doctor has something for us."

Christopher dug into his jacket pocket and produced a small folded piece of paper, "Princess Rapunzel slipped a note into my hand and it's addressed to you, Prince Eugene."

Eugene quickly snatched up the note and quietly read it to himself. Everyone carefully watched his face change from anticipation to concern to worry. Finally, he looked up at everyone with a hard expression, "She says that Elsa is with her and that they're being held in some dark dungeon like environment. They are both handcuffed and chained to walls, but they are unharmed. They are still unsure of where they are or who is holding them, but there is a man who is transfixed upon finding Anna."

Kristoff snorted, "That might have been good to know an hour ago."

Hans methodically rubbed his chin, "At least we now know that Elsa is with her and that the men who kidnapped Anna are taking her to where they're both being held."

Eugene tucked the note into his vest, "But who are these people?"

Hannah picked up the piece of wood with the bullet and looked at it closely, "Hans, what do you see here?"

Hans walked over to her and peered closely at the bullet, "I'm not sure…it looks like a symbol of some kind."

"Exactly! Doctor, do you have any tools that can help us wedge this bullet out of the wood?"

"Yes, I have something that may work in my bag. Allow me to go get it."

Hans raised an eyebrow at Hannah, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that if this symbol belongs to who I think it belongs to, then we might be back in business fellas."

* * *

"What was it like reuniting with your parents again? After all those years of being apart, I mean, how could you just simply fit right in?"

For the past hour, Rapunzel a had been telling Elsa about her adventure with leaving her tower for the first time and going to see the lights with Eugene or technically "Flynn" at the time. They had briefly talked about it before when they were in Arendelle but they never had the chance to really get into the details. Rapunzel thoughtfully smiled, "I was pleasantly surprised by that…everything just clicked and fell perfectly into place. But don't get me wrong, I wasn't just given the tiara and became this picture perfect princess. I had plenty of bad habits to break, like not painting on the walls or walking around everywhere barefoot. And cleaning! Oh my goodness, for the first couple months I would continue to wake up bright and early, and start doing my old chores like sweeping and dusting around the castle. The maids would get so frustrated with me. They'd tell me 'Your Highness, if you continue cleaning then we will surely be out of a job.'."

Elsa laughed, "Those are some pretty good 'bad habits' you had. Where was Eugene during all of this?"

"Oh, he was also staying at the castle but he was under the strict watch of several guards for a while until they slowly learned to trust him and gave him more access to the castle. About a year after I reunited with my parents, he wasn't being escorted around by any guards and we could actually be together as a couple, just the two of us. That's when we started building a stronger bond and a better relationship with each other because, although we knew we loved each other, Eugene being an orphan and me being isolated from the world for so long, we were both not exactly 'stable' in the relationship building department. Another year or so passed before Eugene proposed to me and well, here we are now."

"Being held in a dark dungeon by a mysterious man?"

Rapunzel smirked, "Well, you know what I mean. So what about you and Hans? I must admit that when I got your wedding invitation, I was slightly wary something was going on behind the scenes."

"Well, as you know I was forced to pick a husband and wed before the end of spring. And I knew that I loved Hans, as crazy as it sounds, and I also knew that he loved me in return. To be perfectly honest, I had entertained the idea of Hans and me getting married before but I would have preferred to have waited a while before saying 'I do'. I wished I had the time that you and Eugene had leading up to your engagement, to really get to know one another but nevertheless, I am happy with my decision so far."

"And what about Anna and Kristoff? They've been together for over a year now…do you think we'll be hearing wedding bells soon?"

As Elsa opened her mouth to answer they heard the sound of a large door opening and then slamming shut. The two royals kept quiet as they heard footsteps coming towards them. From the shadows, two men emerged…one was Thomas Sullivan but the other man was someone they haven't seen before. But the thing that caused Elsa to gasp was that the unknown man was holding a limp redheaded princess in his arms, "Anna! What did you do to her?!"

As the unknown man placed Anna in the cell across from them and chained her up like Rapunzel and Elsa, Thomas smirked, "She couldn't keep quiet…she was warned to keep her voice down but as you already know, your sister is quite the stubborn princess."

Elsa yanked at her chains as she got close to the cell bars, "What did you _do_?"

"Relax, Your Majesty, we merely knocked her out with a chloroform soaked cloth…she should wake up in a little bit, and, other than a killer headache, she'll be fine."

Elsa glared at him and spoke in a threatening growl, "When I get out of this cell, I'm coming after you first, Sullivan."

Thomas just laughed as he locked Anna's cell door, "Good luck with that, Your Majesty, if you haven't noticed, your powers don't work here. You're helpless and without your powers you're nothing but just another pretty face with a haughty attitude. And if you don't learn to hold your tongue, then you might find yourself in a worse situation than you're already in." Elsa decided to bite her tongue before she said something she would regret, but as Thomas began to walk away he muttered, "Half-breed bints."

Elsa heard his insult and was immediately angered by it, "Excuse me?! What did you just call us?!"

Thomas continued to walk away without even a single glance back, "Nothing to worry your pretty little head over."

"If you're going to insult me and my family then say it to my face, you coward!"

"That's it! I warned you!" He pulled out a dirty rag from his pocket and strode back to her cell. He threw open the cell door and quickly stepped inside, giving Elsa a harsh back handed slap to the face, which made Rapunzel yelp. Elsa sucked in a quick breath of air and glared at him before he knotted the rag and shoved the knot into her mouth. As he tightly and forcefully tied the rag around her face, he leaned close to her ear, "I told you to keep your mouth shut, but just like your sister, your stubbornness will be your downfall."

Rapunzel stood up and tried to pull him away from her cousin, "It's called standing up for her family and those she cares about! If you even had one decent cell in your body, you would have-"

"Silence!" He raised his hand to strike her but quickly stopped himself, "You're lucky the master favors you and has given us strict orders to not lay a single hand on you. But if you wish to continue this bad behavior, Princess, then I will not hesitate to strike your cousin again." He walked out and locked the door, and as he walked away he muttered, "Goodness knows she could use a good beating…"

Rapunzel waited until she heard the large door open and close before she spoke to Elsa, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Elsa hung her head and slowly shook it, but Rapunzel wasn't convinced, "Elsa, look at me…" She slowly lifted her head and Rapunzel gasped when she saw a small trickled of blood drip from her right cheekbone, "Oh, Elsa, you're bleeding! Fortunately the rag should catch most of the blood…well, I guess 'fortunate' is the wrong word for this situation." Rapunzel sat down and sighed, "Don't worry, Elsa…we're going to get out of this mess, somehow."

* * *

Hannah sat at the dinner table, fidgeting with the bullet that was tightly wedged in the wood. Hans walked up behind her and placed his hand no the back of her chair, "How's it going?"

"Almost got it…"

Kristoff, who was still lying on the sofa, yelled from the living room, "You said that like half an hour ago-"

"Shh!" After a few more minutes of fidgeting, the bullet popped out and Hannah skillfully caught it in her free hand, "There! Ha-ha! No sweat!"

Eugene sat down next to her, "Finally, let's see what we got here. Someone got a magnifying glass?"

Christopher dug out a magnifying glass from his medical bag of tricks and handed it to Hannah, "Thank you…" She looked at it for a short time before she jumped out of her chair with a renewed sense of excitement, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I know who this belongs to!"

"Who?!" Christopher, Hans, and Eugene all exclaimed at the same time.

Hannah handed the bullet to Eugene, "VORTEX! This belongs to VORTEX!"

Eugene peered closely at the bullet, "VORTEX?"

Yes, they're a terrorist organization that's been terrorizing London for quite some time now. But it's only been little things like small robberies, suspicious activity on the black market, stuff like that. Recently, though, in the last couple of years, they have been growing more and more powerful and daring. This organization is so evasive, no one has been able to track them down. Except for one…me."

Eugene nervously looked at her, "You?"

"Yes, many of my past cases have led me to their doorstep. Yet, they would always find a way to swipe the evidence of their crimes, until today that is…this is the first time that, not only have they left us their bullet as evidence, but they also have three witnesses that are currently being held captive."

Eugene skillfully and subtly slipped the bullet into his vest, "But if what you say is true, that they would always get rid of the evidence…what does that mean for Rapunzel, Elsa, and Anna?"

Hannah reached down and pulled out a small revolver from her boot, "It means we're going to get them back tonight…_before_ VORTEX has a chance to dispose of them."


	12. Chapter 12

Hi Everyone. I know that you are all probably expecting the next chapter but unfortunately that is not the case. I want to apologize for my extreme absence from this story and I also want to let you all know that I am still writing, it's just that life kind of got in the way. I have been sick for a couple of weeks and classes are a lot more work this semester, but I want to reassure you all that I am continuing to write in my free time and whenever possible. Unfortunately, by the time the weekend comes my brain is fried and my body is exhausted. I know, I know, excuses, right? Again, I really do apologize, I feel really bad because believe me, if I could dedicate my life to writing stories I would. Now for some good news...the next chapter is _almost _done so hopefully I could get it out to you all by the weekend but I also have a lot of exams next week so my weekend is basically booked (no pun intended). So at the very latest, next weekend the next chapter will be uploaded. I thank you all for understanding and being patient with me. I also hope you all continue to stay with my story...actually, I think you guys deserve a little sneak peek of what's to come. Happy (Short) Reading! :)

* * *

Anna slowly started coming around as an intense pounding consumed her head. She slightly moved her head back and forth, as if trying to make the pounding stop. Unfortunately, the more she came to, the more intense her headache grew. Finally, she opened her eyes and let out a quiet groan, "Where am I?"

"Anna?"

Anna slowly turned her head to the left, then the right, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, "Hello? Who's there?"

"Anna, it me…Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel?" Anna cautiously sat up, despite the room beginning to spin. She looked towards the cell across from her and saw a pair of green concerned looking eyes, "Rapunzel…is that really you?"

Rapunzel yanked at her chains and tried to get as close to the cell bars as possible, "Yes, Anna, it's me. Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I've just been hit by a horse…and, trust me, I know what that feels like. Where am I? Where's Elsa?"

"We're in a dungeon below a place called Franklin Estate. And Elsa is right here with me."

Anna squinted towards Rapunzel's and Elsa's cell to see a figure sitting in the shadows, "Elsa? Are you okay?"

"She can't answer you…she's been gagged and her chains have been tightened so she can't move or take the rag off."

Anna gasped, "Gagged?! What'd she do?"

"Apparently, your sister isn't as well-mannered as she would like people to think." Anna looked down the aisle to see a dark figure slowly walking toward them, "She certainly knows how to run her mouth when you get her all riled up."

Anna squinted harder at the man, "And who are you?" When he finally revealed himself, Anna scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Thomas Sullivan…well this doesn't really surprise me. So what's the reasoning behind all this?"

"Oh, Princess…as much as I would love to enlighten you, there's someone here who's waited fourteen years to do the deed. Princess Anna, have you ever heard of a man named James Jagger?"

Rapunzel quietly sat on her wooden bench as Anna wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "No, I've never heard of him."

The man with the gruff voice spoke up from the shadows, "Perhaps you were too young at the time, but I know that your sister remembers me."

* * *

Dun, dun, DUN! I know, it's short, but it is a sneak peek and if I were to go a couple more sentences, some major plot details would have been revealed. Again, I'll try to release the entire chapter sometime this weekend. Have a good rest of the week/weekend! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**************Hi Everyone! Next chapter is finally up! Thanks for waiting this long! Please review and Happy Reading! :)**

**************Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Disney's Frozen or Tangled. All movie rights belong to the Walt Disney Animation team and all other franchising rights belong to the Walt Disney Company.**

**Chapter 12: James Jagger (I)**

Anna slowly started coming around as an intense pounding consumed her head. She slightly moved her head back and forth, as if trying to make the pounding stop. Unfortunately, the more she came to, the more intense her headache grew. Finally, she opened her eyes and let out a quiet groan, "Where am I?"

"Anna?"

Anna slowly turned her head to the left, then the right, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, "Hello? Who's there?"

"Anna, it me…Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel?" Anna cautiously sat up, despite the room beginning to spin. She looked towards the cell across from her and saw a pair of green concerned looking eyes, "Rapunzel…is that really you?"

Rapunzel yanked at her chains and tried to get as close to the cell bars as possible, "Yes, Anna, it's me. Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I've just been hit by a horse…and, trust me, I know what that feels like. Where am I? Where's Elsa?"

"We're in a dungeon below a place called Franklin Estate. And Elsa is right here with me."

Anna squinted towards Rapunzel's and Elsa's cell to see a figure sitting in the shadows, "Elsa? Are you okay?"

"She can't answer you…she's been gagged and her chains have been tightened so she can't move or take the rag off."

Anna gasped, "Gagged?! What'd she do?"

"Apparently, your sister isn't as well-mannered as she would like people to think." Anna looked down the aisle to see a dark figure slowly walking toward them, "She certainly knows how to run her mouth when you get her all riled up."

Anna squinted harder at the man, "And who are you?" When he finally revealed himself, Anna scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Thomas Sullivan…well this doesn't really surprise me. So what's the reasoning behind all this?"

"Oh, Princess…as much as I would love to enlighten you, there's someone here who's waited fourteen years to do the deed. Princess Anna, have you ever heard of a man named James Jagger?"

Rapunzel quietly sat on her wooden bench as Anna wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "No, I've never heard of him."

The man with the gruff voice spoke up from the shadows, "Perhaps you were too young at the time, but I know that your sister remembers me." Everyone looked at Elsa, whose face had paled and her eyes were wide with realization. "Thomas, go untie our little trouble maker." Thomas reluctantly followed the man's orders, giving Elsa a dirty glare as he untied the rag and forcefully yanked it out of her mouth causing her to wince in pain.

The gruff voice spoke again, this time directly at Elsa, "You remember me, don't you?"

Elsa cleared her throat, "You worked at the castle in Arendelle during my father's reign. You were his advisor, if I remember correctly."

"Very good, Queen Elsa…but I was more than just a royal advisor. I was his best friend and the third most powerful person in Arendelle at the time. And if you remember, I spent a good amount of time watching you and Anna when you were young."

Anna furrowed her brow, "You watched us grow up? How come I don't remember you?"

Elsa looked over at her sister, "Because he disappeared a few months before the gates closed…you were four, Anna, you wouldn't remember." She turned her focus back to James, "Whatever happened to you?"

* * *

A twenty year old James Jagger walked down the palace corridors towards Prince Agdar's room. Prince Agdar was the not just the only son of the King and Queen, but the only child as well, making him the one and only heir to Arendelle's throne. But to James, Agdar was just a guy who loved to have fun and socialized with everyone he met. He was extremely friendly and loved life, and most importantly, he was James's best friend since they could remember. James had grown up in the castle since both his parents were killed in a fire when he was a baby and his adopted mother worked at the palace as a caretaker. Even as kids, James was always Agdar's right hand man and since neither had siblings, they quickly became close like brothers.

They were also both extremely smart as James shined in chemical science and mechanics, and Agdar excelled in economics and political science. Ever since James and Agdar were kids, Adgar would joke around saying that when he was old enough to become king, he would make James his royal advisor and they would be the best ruling duo in the history of Arendelle. And now that Adgar was almost of age to take the throne, he still had every intention of keeping his word and making James his royal advisor when the time came because he trusted James more than anyone in the castle and he valued his intellectual insight and his moral opinion. The two friends were inseparable. Nothing could come between them…until today.

James knocked on his friend's door, "Prince Agdar? The ship from Funen has arrived and Princess Idun is being escorted to the castle as we speak. Are you presentable?"

The door opened and a handsome young prince with bright auburn hair and very light, almost pastel green eyes stood before his friend. Prince Agdar was a tall man with a slim physique and broad shoulders. He always wore a kind expression on his face that made him seem very approachable as well as always looking presentable and majestic with his straight posture and proper body language. Like Agdar, James was also tall and broad shouldered, but that was where the similarities ended. James had dark curly brown hair that had to be kept short in order to tame it, and equally dark brown eyes. James always tried to match his posture and body language to his friend, and both men were considered to be extremely handsome, according to the ladies in the kingdom.

Agdar was hurrying around his bedroom as he finished putting on his uniform, "James, thank goodness you're here. Help a friend out and get these darn medals to stay on my jacket?"

James chuckled as he began to pin the numerous amount of medals onto his friend's uniform, "Well, well, well…we couldn't possibly be nervous to meet the future queen of Arendelle, could we?"

Agdar nervously laughed, "Me nervous? I don't get nervous, James. Nerves mean fear and I'd like to think that I'm quite fearless."

James took a quick look at his friend's face and smirked, "Well, you could've fooled me. You know, if you end up sweating through your uniform, I don't think I could ever let you live that down."

"Oh, stop it…" Agdar took one last quick look in the mirror before he hurried out of his room, "Trying to get inside my head won't work. I'm just unsure of how Princess Idun feels about this arrange marriage. I mean, what if she hates me?"

James walked beside him, "She couldn't possible hate you…you're a handsome man with power and riches. Women tend to go for stuff like that."

"That is quite narrow minded, James, not to mention sexist. Women are beautiful creatures that are as equally intelligent as men. If I have a daughter, I'm going to make sure she grows up thinking for herself and not succumbing to the ideals of those around her."

"Planning ahead are we?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to think about what the future may have in store for me and Arendelle."

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen."

James hesitated, "…You realize that's a four year difference between you two, right?"

Agdar nonchalantly shrugged, "They say women mature faster than men…let us hope that is the case."

The two men walked out of the castle doors and crossed the courtyard to the gates. There they patiently stood and waited for Princess Idun, the future Queen of Arendelle, to arrive. After a few moments of silence, James cleared his throat, "What if you hate her?

"Pardon?"

"What if Princess Idun's a spoiled brat or an ugly brood?"

Agdar chuckled but he wasn't able to answer because two women, who were being accompanied by the royal guards, were slowly walking towards them. Both women were extremely beautiful, but one of them really caught his eye. She had bright blue eyes that made the fjords crystal waters seem dull, and her dark chocolate brown hair shined in the Arendelle sunlight. She had a round face that was majestically held high and a petite body that elegantly floated towards him. To top everything off, her light porcelain skin seemed to make every single one of her perfect features stand out more. From that instant, Agdar knew he was smitten with this woman and he desperately hoped that she was the one chosen to be his queen.

James on the other hand, was transfixed on the other woman headed his way. Unlike the other woman, she had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. Her face was a little more heart-shaped than the other and her lips were also fuller. Similar to the other woman, she walked with effortless grace as her head was held high, and she, too, had brown hair except hers carried a golden undertone that could be seen in the full sunlight. James held his breath, hoping this green-eyed beauty wasn't Princess Idun, because he couldn't possibly tell his best friend that he was attracted to his future wife.

When the women finally walked up to Prince Agdar, the one with the blue eyes delicately bowed her head, "Good afternoon, Prince Agdar. I am Princess Idun of Funen and this is my sister, Princess Primrose." The green-eyed princess respectfully bowed her head but kept quiet.

Agdar smiled and bowed, "Welcome to Arendelle, Princess Idun and Princess Primrose. This is my right hand man, James Jagger. Please come inside and allow me to give you a tour of the palace."

As the two princesses crossed the courtyard towards the palace, Agdar sidled up to Idun as Jame sidled up to Primrose. James looked over and noticed that Agdar and Idun were already in the middle of a conversation, so he decided that now would be a good chance to talk to the green-eyed beauty, "I wasn't aware that Princess Idun had a sister…younger or older?"

Primrose gave him a flirty smile, "Younger…and I was unaware that Prince Agdar had such a handsome right hand man."

James chuckled, "You're pretty quick, Princess. So what brings you to Arendelle? The wedding isn't for another few weeks."

Primrose quickly looked over at her sister and her future husband, before lowering her voice, "Idun isn't exactly _thrilled _about this whole arranged marriage thing. So, I thought it would be best to come along with her so she can have at least one familiar face in the castle."

James nodded as they both stopped walking, "I can assure you that your sister is in good hands here. I've known Prince Agdar since we were kids, he's like a brother to me, and nobody is has kind-hearted and caring as he is. He will love your sister unconditionally and eternally."

Primrose gave him a teary eyed smile, "That's wonderful to hear…what about you Mister Jagger?"

James's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Me? I don't think it's my place to love Princess Idun-"

She let a light laugh slipped out, "No, no…I mean, is that how you think love should be? Unconditional and eternal?"

"Well, of course. And please call me James."

She adorably bit her lip as she ever so slightly blushed, "Only if you call me Primrose."

He was about to answer her when someone cleared their throat behind them. Primrose and James quickly turned around to see Agdar standing there, by himself, with a smirk on his face, "Princess, would you like James to give you a tour around?"

Primrose looked at Agdar and then quickly scanned the hallway, "Where did Idun go?"

Agdar gestured his head at the closed door behind him, "She wanted to get situated in her room for awhile."

Primrose had a funny look on her face, "Oh really? Well, I guess I should do the same then. Sorry, Your Highness but I guess my sister wasn't really feeling up to the grand tour. Um, when's dinner?"

Agdar opened her door for her, "Seven, Your Highness. I hope to see you and Princess Idun there…my parents are most anxious to meet both of you."

Primrose let out a delicate laugh as she walked into her room, "They're probably more interested in meeting my sister than actually meeting me, but thanks for trying to make me feel special. We'll see you at dinner…_both _of us." She gave both men a kind smile and closed her door.

James smiled over at his friend, "That went quite well. I think she likes me."

Agdar smirked as he threw his arm around his friend's shoulders, "Behave yourself, James."

* * *

That evening, Prince Agdar and James were waiting in the dining room, along with the King and Queen of Arendelle. As the royal family sat the table, James stood along the wall with the other servants and advisors. The King looked at the clock to see that it was ten past seven and he began impatiently drumming his fingers on the table, "She's late, Agdar. Does she know that dinner is at seven?"

Agdar nervously looked at the door, then back at his father, "Yes, I told her sister."

The Queen raised her eyebrows at him, "You didn't tell her directly?"

"I, ah, well…no. She sort of closed the door on my face. I don't think she's happy here."

The King hungrily eyed the fruit in the middle of the table, "Well, she's stuck here whether she likes it or not…but it's _your _job to ensure she's happy."

"Yes, Father."

The doors burst open and the two royal sisters hurried inside. Idun bowed first, "I'm so sorry that we're late. We kind of got lost on our way here. It won't happen again, I'm sure."

Everyone stood up at the table as the King quickly looked at his son, "Agdar, didn't you give our guests a tour around the castle?"

Just as Agdar was about to answer, Idun took a few more steps towards the table,  
"He offered, Your Majesty, but I was being ignorant and immature so I declined his offer. I apologize for my childish behavior."

Surprisingly, the King gave her a warm smile, "Princess Idun, I presume?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. And this is my sister, Princess Primrose." Both princesses bowed again.

The Queen stood up and walked over to the princesses with a kind smile, "Well, aren't you a beauty? Both of you are actually. We were told that your parents will be joining us by the end of the week?"

Idun quickly nodded her head, "Yes, they had some things come up at the last minute."

The Queen stood in between the two girls and lightly placed her hand on the small of their backs, gently leading them towards the table, "Oh, it's fine. We understand things like that happen. Now, let us get some food in our stomachs before we continue. I'm afraid my husband won't be able to focus on the conversation until he's fed."

That brought a smile to Idun's lips as she went to go sit beside Agdar, who chivalrously pulled out her chair for her. James hurried forward and did the same for Primrose, who gave him a light giggle in response. James stepped back to his place against the wall, where he observed Idun quickly and subtly elbow her sister. The rest of dinner went quite well, although James didn't even hear a word that was being said for his full attention was on the green-eyed princess that sat at the table, giving him quick looks before turning away blushing.

When dinner finally ended, The King was the first to stand, "Agdar, why don't you give Princess Idun a tour around the castle?"

Agdar stood and pulled out Idun's chair, "Of course. What do say Princess…" He offered his arm, "Would you like to see your new home?"

Idun hesitated ever so slightly but she took his arm and offered him a small smile, "Okay."

James pulled out Primrose's chair as the Queen looked over at them, "James, perhaps you could accompany Princess Primrose for the rest of the evening…if she wishes of course."

Primrose quickly took James's outstretched arm, "Of course! Why don't you show me where the library is…I love nothing more than a good book."

As the two princesses went in different directions, Idun gave Primrose a stern look that could easily be read as '_don't you dare do anything I wouldn't do_.' But her sister only gave her an excited smile and mischievous wink in return that said '_have fun getting to know your fiancé_.'

* * *

Three months later, Prince Agdar and Princess Idun were finally married and the King and Queen from Funen had stayed after the wedding in order to discuss the newly formed alliance with Arendelle. Primrose and James had also gotten extremely close during those few months and have been spending almost every hour of every day together. But today, her sister was returning from her honeymoon and Primrose was excitedly waiting at the gates. James chuckled as he walked up behind her, "Well, what brings you out here, Princess? It couldn't possibly be because your sister is coming back today?"

Primrose playfully slapped his arm, "You know _exactly_ why I'm out here, James. What are _you _doing out here?"

"I'm waiting for my best friend to return from his honeymoon…" He held out a bouquet of flowers, "…just like you."

Primrose happily gasped, "You brought flowers for Idun?! That's so sweet!"

James laughed, "No, I got them for you."

Primrose look slightly stunned, "For me? But why?"

"Because I like you Prim. I like you, a lot. And I know this is a lot to ask of you but I was wondering-"

"They're coming!" Primrose ran up to her sister and flung her arms around her, "Idun! Welcome back! How was everything? Did you have fun?"

Idun laughed as she returned her sister's hug, "It was wonderful! I think everything's going to turn out okay for me." She broke the hug and smiled at her husband, "I'm going to be very happy here in Arendelle with Agdar."

Primrose gave Agdar a big grin before she tugged at her sister's arm, "Come on! Mama and Papa are inside and they can't wait to see you!"

As Agdar and James watched the girls run towards the castle, James gave his best friend a mischievous smirk, "Wow, I've never seen her so happy…that must have been _some _honeymoon."

Agdar chuckled as he threw an arm around his friend's shoulders and started towards the castle, "It was but not for the reasons you're thinking of. Actually, I didn't even touch her. But we did talk a lot and I really got to know her and what goes on inside her head. She's actually a very perceptive individual and I really enjoyed talking to her."

"Wow, I'm not getting replaced am I?"

Although James laughed, Agdar could pick up some bitterness in his voice, "Of course not…it's nice to be back though. How are things between you and Primrose?"

"Everything has been wonderful…well, at least I thought so. I tried to give her a bouquet of flowers today but she seemed taken aback that they were for her. It was as if making a romantic gesture towards her surprised her and at the same time confused her."

"Maybe she just thinks of you more like a friend than a lover."

"No, she loves me. I know it…she may not know it, but I do."

Agdar stopped walking and gave his friend a concerned look, "James, take it from me. You can't force a woman to fall in love with you."

James shrugged his friend's arm off and took a step back, "Oh sure, says the guy who can make the coldest woman he's ever known fall in love with him _without _even touching her. You had an arranged marriage! You basically forced her to fall in love with you!"

"I'm not forcing anyone to do anything!" Agdar coolly ran his hand through his hair and tried to speak in calmer tone, "James, if Primrose does not have any feelings towards you, then you're going to have to back off and let her go. She's going to go back to Funen by the end of the week anyways."

"No she's not. I'm going to propose to her…tonight."

Agdar reached out and grabbed his arm, "James! No, I can't let you do this!"

James pulled his arm free, turned around and strode down the hallway, "This doesn't concern you, Agdar."

Agdar stood dumbfounded in the middle of the hallway as he watched his friend walk away when a servant walked up behind him, "Your Highness, you're parents would like to welcome you back and also ask you to meet some guests at the castle gates."

"Pardon?" He turned and faced the man, "Who's here?"

"The King and Queen of Corona, along with their son Prince Thomas. They are to meet with your parents along with the King and Queen of Funen and Princess Primrose."

"Okay…may I ask why?"

"Princess Primrose and Prince Thomas are to be engaged and married to fulfill an alliance agreement between Arendelle, Funen, and Corona."

Agdar looked toward the direction his friend had just left, "Oh no."

* * *

That evening, James patiently waited outside the King's study for Primrose to finish up with some meeting with the royal family from Corona. He stuck his hand into his pocket and gently patted the small ring box. Finally the door opened up and everyone began to shuffle out, including Primrose who had an unreadable look on her face. Her face brightened up when she saw her friend, "James! I am so glad to see you!"

A pleasantly surprised smile spread across his face, "You are?"

She smiled as she skipped towards him, "Yes! I have some big news to tell you."

"Me too…" He boldly reached for her hand, "But perhaps we could go somewhere more private?"

She curiously looked down at his hand holding hers, "Um…okay."

James quietly led Primrose outside to the gardens. He stopped beneath a trellis of flowers and held both of her hands in his, "Prim, I know we've only known each other for a few months, but I can't help but feel like there's something special between us. I feel like we are meant to be together, that you are my better half, and I can't imagine my life without you. I know that you're going back to Funen in a few days, so I can't think of a better time to ask you the question that has been burning in my heart…" He got down on one knee and held up the open ring box, "Princess Primrose of Funen…will you marry me?"

Primrose's mouth dropped as surprise and panic filled her eyes, "Oh James…I'm so sorry, but I-I can't marry you."

He closed the ring box and stood up with a confused expression, "I'm sorry…what?"

"The meeting I just had with the royal family from Corona was about setting up an arranged marriage with me and their son. I can't marry you because I'm already engaged to Prince Thomas."

James desperately reached for her hands, "B-but you don't love him! You love me!"

"I'm so sorry, James, I never knew you felt this way about me." She pulled her hands free and proceeded to take slow steps away from him, "But I'm going to be honest, I thought we were just friends, _good_ friends, but still…friends. And even if I _did _have some romantic feelings towards you, I can't do anything about it know. I'm sorry…"

"But Prim…"

"Please don't make this harder than it needs to be, James."

He realized that she was slowly trying to distance herself from him, "You played me! You made me believe that you actually loved me! But I get it now…I'm not good enough for a princess, am I?! I'm just a lowly commoner! I could never become anything worthy of your affections!"

He lunged for her and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to struggle against him, "Please! Stop it! Listen-"

His voice was a low growl as he wickedly smiled at her, "No, you listen to me! I love you and I _will _have you!"

He leaned forward to kiss her, but she managed to free her arm and harshly slapped him across the face. As he staggered back in surprise she began to quickly step away from him, "I sense darkness in you, James. And I could never love a man that was headed down a dark path that I dare not follow. Goodbye, Mister Jagger." She turned around, ran towards the castle and never looked back.

* * *

Although the ship to Funen was scheduled to leave at the end of the week, the ship back to Corona was scheduled to leave the next day, and Princess Primrose made certain she was on it. Nobody knew what had happened between her and James, and they certainly weren't going to tell anyone.

Two weeks had passed since both ships left Arendelle to head back to either Funen or Corona and James felt worse than ever. Agdar had been spending so much time trying to make Idun happy, that he had very little time to talk to his old friend unless it was something that he needed from him.

It was the beginning of winter, as James slowly walked down the castle corridors a servant ran up to him, "Sir James, do you know the whereabouts of Prince Agdar and Princess Idun?"

James suspiciously eyed the man, "…why?"

"A letter just came from the Kingdom of Funen…it's for the Princess. The messenger said it was urgent."

James quickly snatched the letter out of his hand, "I'll take it to her…she's probably in the library with Prince Agdar. Thank you."

James carefully examined the envelope, hoping that perhaps the letter was from Primrose. _Oh, yeah, that's right she hates me. If it was from her, there certainly wouldn't be anything in it about me…anything good that is._ He quickly hurried to the library and burst through the door, catching Idun and Agdar in the middle of what seemed to be a tense conversation. "I'm sorry, your Highnesses…shall I come back at a later time?"

Agdar stood up from where he was sitting and dusted himself off, "Don't be silly, James, you're always welcomed to talk to me. And given by your distressed expression, I would assume that this is an urgent matter?"

James nodded as he walked further into the library, "I have an urgent letter here for Princess Idun." He held out the letter to her and locked eyes with her, "It's from Funen."

She quickly stood up and took the letter, hastily tearing open the envelope. The entire room fell silent as she read and reread the letter, growing paler by the second until she finally collapsed onto the seat behind her. Agdar immediately jumped to her side, "Idun, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Her eyes glazed over and she spoke as if she was in a daze, "My parent's ship have been attacked and ransacked by pirates on the way to Corona. Several people were killed and few went missing, including my parents. The royal guard is investigating the situation now and they insist that, for my safety, I stay here in Arendelle until they receive news of what happened to my parents."

Agdar gently held her hand and spoke in a calm manner, "Idun everything is going to be okay, the pirates are probably just holding your parents for ransom money. The royal guard will get them back soon."

"Excuse me…I'm going to my room…" She stood and regally walked to the door before running to her bedroom with tears spilling down her cheeks.

James solemnly looked at his friend, "You think Primrose is safe?"

"Probably…lucky for her that she left with Prince Thomas to Corona instead of going later with her parents or else she would probably be suffering the same fate."

* * *

It was the middle of March and there was still no news about the King and Queen of Funen. Agdar hadn't seen his wife since December, when she first got the letter from Funen. Every day he had knocked on her bedroom door and asked if she needed anything or if she wanted to talk, and every day she kindly rejected him. James had gone with him during the first couple of weeks but seeing his friend's face fall every time he was denied the chance to see his love began to take its toll on him. Watching his once fun loving friend slowly becoming more and more disheartened caused him grief.

One day as James was walking down the corridors towards the kitchen, he heard a loud crash come from the north wing, where Agdar and Idun's rooms were both located. He ran towards the north wing and found that Idun's door was broken down. He hurried inside to see Agdar hovering over his wife's lifeless body, "What happened in here?!"

Agdar looked up with worried eyes, "Go get Doctor Omsorg! Something's wrong with Idun! She's ice cold!"

Three hours later, Agdar finally stepped out of the Princess's bedroom with a haunted look on his face. James gently placed his hand on his shoulder, "How is she?"

Agdar shook his head before looking up at his friend, "Tell me, James…do you know anything about trolls?"

* * *

They hurried into the library and ran towards the back where several old books were stacked in the corner with a heavy blanket of dust covering them. James looked at the covers with a perplexed expression, "They're in Runes, Old Norse…we don't know anything about the runic alphabet."

"If it were easy then someone else would have figured it out already…we'll learn."

James stared at all the symbols that looked similar to chicken scratch, "Agdar, you can't be serious. That'll take forever…look at this stuff!"

"My wife's health is dwindling every moment I'm not looking for a way to cure her. You're either with me or against me…which is it?"

James was slightly startled by his friend's very serious, almost threatening behavior, "I'm with you…always have, always will be."

Agdar gave him a sad smile and a tired pat on the shoulder, "You're like a brother to me, James, and I'm glad that I can always count on you. Now, let's get down to business."

Seventy-two hours later, both men were barely able to keep themselves awake. James had taken a few hour naps here and there but Agdar wouldn't let himself fall asleep until he was capable of roughly understanding the Runes. They were both exhausted and they looked just as such. Agdar yawned and stretched as he closed another book, "I think I've got a good enough grasp of the runic alphabet. You ready to decipher the scrolls?"

James let out a long yawn and rubbed his face, "Yeah, I think I've learned all that I could at this point…let's get to it."

Agdar and James ventured to the far wall at the back of the library, where several scrolls rested on dusty shelves. Agdar leaned a ladder against the shelves and climbed halfway up, "The doctor said that there was a scroll that mentioned something about trolls with magical abilities that live near the North Mountain."

After several hours of deciphering ancient scrolls, James excitedly yelled, "I think I've got something!" Agdar slid down the ladder and looked over James's shoulder, "Runes of Knowledgeable…what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, what else does it say?"

"Something about a hook…"

"Hook? Book! James! Book! 'Runes of Knowledgeable' is a book title!" Agdar shuffled through several dusty old books on the shelf before grabbing one in particular, "Here it is! Does it give you a page number?"

James chuckled, "No, that'd be too easy. But you could start where that piece of paper is sticking up."

Agdar opened up the book and studied the picture of an Arendelle noble lying on a stone slab as a troll silhouette loomed over his body, hands in the air as if summoning some sort of blue mist out of the man. James peeked over his shoulder, "What does it say?"

Agdar cleared his throat, "To stone, brought forth by powers of moon and sky. They, the trolls, from dark mountain realm have healing hands. A soul which, from cold, wounded will heal if brought very quickly to the field of them. Trolls have those nature that they get all sorcery unthaw out of approached body. To save one, such action done in true love is an only which can unthaw heart stoned very quickly." He looked at his friend, "We need to find these trolls! They can save Idun!"

James reread the passage, "Are you sure? What about all that stuff about unthawing a heart and a cold soul?"

"It's probably just metaphorical stuff…the important thing is that they have 'healing hands'. And look…" He opened up the folded piece of paper that acted as their bookmark, "Here's a map that leads us exactly to the trolls. I must leave at once."

James took one last look at the picture, "Adgar, something isn't right. These trolls supposedly have magic 'healing hands' from the 'dark mountain realm'. Do you really think we should be messing with this stuff?"

Agdar placed the map in his pocket and headed towards the door, "Doctor Omsorg told me that these trolls would be able to help Idun. I don't see why the doctor would suggest their help if he thought they would be dangerous. I'm going and that's that. But just as a precaution, if something does happen to me, I want you here, because if I don't return, Idun will most likely die and then you're next in line for the throne."

James stopped walking and stared at his friend with a bewildered expression, "Pardon?"

Agdar looked at him with a kind expression, "You're my right hand man, James, my advisor. If both Idun and I die, you're the only one left to take the throne once my parents step down. I need you to stay here, where it's safe. Take care, James." He leaned forward and gave his friend a quick hug before running down the hall, towards the stables.

James looked down at the book in his hands and flipped back to the passage they just looked at, "Be careful…"


End file.
